wore a broad-brimmed hat, and was wrapped in a large grey cloak, like those worn by herdsmen, the hood of which was drawn up over his head, so that no one could discern his countenance. But the princess instantly ran towards him, pulled down his hood, clasped him in her arms and cried: "Here he is! here he is!" At this all the people laughed, for they saw that it was the king's herd-boy, and the king himself exclaimed: "Gracious heaven support me! What a son-in-law am I likely to have!" But the young man, with a perfectly unembarrassed air, said: "Let not that trouble you! You will get as good a king's son, as you yourself are a king." At the same moment he threw aside his cloak, and where were now the laughers, when, in place of the grey herdsman, they saw before them a comely young prince clad in gold from head to foot, and holding in his hand the princess's golden apple! All now recognised in him the youth who had ridden up the glass mountain.

Now, it is easy to imagine, there was joy, the like of which was never known. The prince clasped his beloved in his arms with the most ardent affection, and told her of his family and all he had undergone. The king allowed himself no rest, but instantly made preparations for the marriage, to which he invited all the suitors and all the people. A banquet was then given such as has never been heard of before or after. Thus did the prince gain the king's daughter and half the kingdom; and when the feastings had lasted about seven days, the prince took his fair young bride in great state to his father's kingdom, where he was received as may easily be conceived, both the king and the queen weeping for joy at seeing him again. They afterwards lived happily, each in his kingdom. But nothing more was heard of the wild man.

1. In "Runa, En skrift för Fäderneslandets Fornvänner" utgifven af Richard Dybeck, Stockh. 1842, Häft i. p. 7, there is a similar tradition from Westmanland, which tells of a knight who captured an animal, the like of which had never been seen, it being overgrown with moss. It was kept in a tower, and released by the knight's young son, who was playing at ball close by. For this the boy was taken to the forest to be slain; but the servants, touched by his lamentations, killed a kid in his stead, the heart of which they showed for the boy's.

While wandering in the forest he meets with the animal he had liberated, and goes with him into the mountain, where he stays for some years. A proclamation is then sent through the country, that the princess will accept for a husband him who shall be able to ride up a mountain, on which she will one day show herself. The knight's son now gets horse and clothing, and rides away to contend for the princess; but on reaching the middle of the mountain he is struck by a javelin cast from below. He, nevertheless, continues his course, and at length stands before the princess, who gives him a silk handkerchief to bind up his wound, and a day is fixed for the wedding.

When the day arrived, the wonderful animal, ugly as he is, desires to accompany the bridegroom, but contents himself with a place under the table. He there gives him a rusty sword, desiring him to touch him with it, when the old king's memory is drunk. The youth complies with his desire, when, to the astonishment of all, the old king, who, it was thought, had been carried off to the mount*, rises up. There was afterwards great rejoicing and tumult, and the king himself wishes the young couple joy.

2. According to an Upland version, a king one day lost his way in a forest, where he met with an old man who received him hospitably. The old man was immensely rich in gold and silver, which excited the king's avarice. The old man refuses to tell his name, and the king has him cast into a tower, telling him he should never be released until he disclosed who he was.

Some time after, as the king's son was running about the court, he found a key, with which he opened the tower, and set the old man at liberty. At this the king was bitterly enraged, drove the prince from the country, and forbade him ever to return. On entering the forest, the boy met the old man, who desired him to follow him, which he did. They then took the old man's little gray horse, loaded it with gold and silver, and went to another kingdom. There the prince grew up, and became very tall and powerful; and his greatest pleasure was to ride on the gray horse over hill and dale.

It happened that the king who ruled the land had a daughter, who had a vast number of suitors. Her father, therefore, issued a proclamation, that whoever could ride up the glass mountain and take down a golden crown that was fixed on its summit, should possess the princess. When the prince received this intelligence, he went to the king's court and offered his services as a scullion; but when the suitors were to begin their competition, he ran home, got arms from his foster-father, together with the little gray horse, and rode at full speed up to the mountain's peak. Yet he did not take the golden crown, but rode down on the other side and away. On the second day he did the like; on the third day he took the crown, but rode away, so that no one knew who he was.

* Berg-tagen (mount-taken) means carried off into a mountain by Trolls, concerning which see Thorpe, "Northern Mythology and Traditions," vol. ii. p. 67.

Some time after, as the princess was sitting in her maiden-bower, the door was opened, and in stept the scullion. He had the golden crown in his hand, and told her that he had taken it; but that he was willing to give it back, that the princess might exercise her own free will. This pleased the princess exceedingly, and she prayed her father to assemble all the men of his kingdom together at his court. The king did so.

When they were all assembled, the princess went forward to the scullion, gave him the golden crown, and chose him for her husband. At this there was a great wondering; but the prince, casting off his coarse grey cloak, stood there no longer a scullion, but a powerful king's son. He obtained the princess, and with her half the kingdom.

3. A variation from Gothland omits the introductory part about the wild man, and in its place tells of a poor peasant, whose youngest son was accustomed to sit in the chimney-corner, exposed to the insults of his brothers.

The king who ruled over the country had an only daughter, who had made a vow to marry no one who could not ride up a glass mountain. Whereupon the king issued a proclamation to that effect throughout his kingdom. When the day of trial came, the two elder sons of the peasant mounted their father's old jade and rode off to the glass mount; but the youngest boy might not accompany them, and therefore ran along the road weeping. Here he was met by a little old man, who asked him why he was so sorrowful. The boy told him the cause, when the old man replied: "Wait, I will help thee. Here is a pipe; take it, and place thyself under that tall pine yonder. When thou blowest in one end of the pipe, there shall come forth a charger with a suit of armour hanging on the pommel of his saddle; and when thou blowest in the other end, the whole shall disappear." Hereupon the boy instantly ran to the tree, blew in the pipe, armed himself, and went his way. In passing his brothers, their old nag was so frightened that it ran with its two riders into a ditch, where we will for the present leave them.

The boy then rode on to the glass mountain, where he found an innumerable multitude of people, some with broken legs, others with broken arms, from their attempt to ascend the mountain. He did not, however, allow himself to be frightened, but galloped away, and reached the summit of the mountain, where the princess was sitting. She then threw to him her golden apple, which fastened itself to his knee, and he instantly rode back down the mountain, hastened home to the chimney-corner, and found great pleasure in hearing his two brothers relate about a strange prince who had frightened their horse into a ditch.

When the princess had long been waiting in vain for the successful rider, the king sent messengers over his whole kingdom, to ascertain whether any one had a golden apple on his knee. The messengers also came to the peasant's hut. When it was discovered that the youngest son had the apple, there was, it may easily be imagined, no small astonishment among them. The messengers desired the boy to

accompany them to the king; but he would not, stole out of the hut, blew in his pipe, clad himself in complete armour, and rode alone to the royal palace, where he was instantly recognised, and obtained the princess. But the old peasant and his two elder sons have not recovered from their astonishment to this day.

4. In a version of the story from West Gothland, it is related how a poor peasant boy, as he was digging in a sand-pit, came to a hall, in which he found three horses and three suits of armour, one of silver, another of gold, and the third of precious stones.

The boy afterwards set out to wander about the world, and came at length to a royal palace, where he got employment as a scullion. The king, whose palace it was, had an only daughter, who had been carried away by a Troll, and could appear only on three succesive Thursday evenings, on the summit of a high glass mountain; but if any one could ride up the mountain, and take the golden apple from her hand, she would be released. Hereupon the king, who was in great affliction, sent forth a proclamation, that whosoever would deliver the princess should have her to wife, together with half his kingdom.

When the first Thursday evening arrived, the boy ran to the sandpit, clad himself in the silver armour, and rode half-way up the mountain. On the second Thursday evening he took the golden armour, and rode so high that the horse had one fore-foot on the mountain's summit. On the third evening he took the armour of precious stones, rode up to the princess and got the golden apple. He then rode back to the sand-pit.

The king then issued an order that every male throughout the kingdom should appear at his court. The princess goes forth and recognises her deliverer. The scullion casts off his rags, and stands in the armour of precious stones. The king gives him his daughter, and half the kingdom.

THE TWO CASKETS.

From South Småland.

THERE was once a crone, who was both old and wicked, which, as we all know, is far from impossible. She had two daughters, one her own, the other a step-daughter. They were as unlike as night and day; for the crone's daughter resembled her mother in every way, while the step-daughter was a perfect heal-all*, so thoroughly good and friendly that she would not hurt a worm. Hence she was much beloved by all, except her wicked step-mother and step-sister. These did her all the harm they could, and their treatment of her grew worse and worse from day to day, until they at length began to devise how they might get rid of her altogether.

* The plant so called. Sw. läke-blad.

H

For the sake of a pretext, the crone one day called her daughters, and set them to spin at the brink of the well; when she, whose thread should first break, was, as a punishment, to be thrown into the well. The girls did as their mother desired: they took their spinning-wheels, set themselves by the brink of the well, and began their work. But the crone had not acted impartially between them; for while her own daughter got the finest flax to spin, the stepdaughter got the mere refuse, yet was, nevertheless, required to spin yarn equally fine. It therefore fell out as was to be expected, that, notwithstanding all her care, the stepdaughter's thread was the first to snap asunder. Instantly was the crone in readiness, and, seizing the poor girl by the feet, she cast her headlong into the well, in spite of her prayers, which might have moved a stone to pity. Having so done, the crone returned with her daughter to her dwelling, both overjoyed that at last they had got rid of the stepdaughter, who had so long been an annoyance to them.

But although man proposes, it is God who disposes; and so it was in the present instance; for when the stepdaughter sank to the bottom of the well, the earth opened beneath her, and she found herself in a beautiful meadow, in which the grass grew and the trees flourished as in the upper world, although there was no sun to shine as here. Now, thought she to herself, "What am I to do? I dare not go back to my wicked step-mother, and there is no other in the world that I can turn to. I may as well go forwards and see what course I had best take." She then dried her tears and began to wander across the meadow. When she had gone a little way, she came to an old fence; it was broken and decayed, so that it scarcely hung together, and was all overgrown with old man's beard *. The fence addressed her thus: Dear little maiden, do me no harm, a poor fence, so old and decayed!" No," answered the girl, "that I certainly will not. Do not be afraid." She then stept over the fence, but trod so lightly and carefully that nothing was injured or moved from its place, and afterwards continued her wandering. But the fence,

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shaking its mossy beard, cast a friendly look after her, and wished all might go well with the considerate maiden.

* Geropogon, clematis?