There once was a foolish lad who was never afraid. One day he complained sadly to his dog, "How I should like to know fear!"
A passing wayfarer heard these words, and smiling to himself, led the young man to a gallows. "Stay here till morning," he told him, "and you will soon know what it is to fear." And he went on his way. The lad sat down beneath the gallows and lit a fire. The night was frigid; seven corpses swung from the beams until their bones creaked, and shadowy bats flitted past. "Dear me, those fellows will catch their deaths of cold," thought the foolish lad, and since he had a good heart he untied the corpses and sat them down beside him round the fire. In a little while their rotten clothes began to smoulder, but the hanged men did not move a muscle. "Stupid fellows, must I do everything for you?" the young man scolded them, beating sparks from the glowing cloth; and he hung his silent companions back on the gallows.
The wayfarer again came by in the morning. "Well, my good fellow, have you learned to be afraid?" he asked with a smile. "It was no good," said the lad. "And even those men up there did nothing to help, though I sat them down beside me." The wayfarer was astonished. "Never have I seen such a fearless boy," he exclaimed. And he took the lad off to see the king.
The king listened to the tale of the young fellow's heroism, then said, "So you wish at all costs to learn to shake with fear" Very well. Not far from here is a haunted castle. Demons guard a great treasure there. If you can remain there for three nights, you shall have my daughter for your wife. But you may take only three things with you."
The next day the lad ordered the servants to bring along a vice, a spokeshave and a lathe, and they set off for the haunted castle. Night fell, and the young man lit a fire in the hearth and waited to see what would happen. Midnight struck, and into the chamber rushed a black hound with bloody fangs and a gray cat with fiery eyes. They spoke fiercely, snarling, "Come and play cards with us. If you lose, we shall tear you to pieces!" "Why not?" said the lad. "But your long claws might tear the cards. First I must trim them a little with the spokeshave!" The dog and cat agreed and obediently placed their paws in the vice; the fellow screwed it down on their claws, and cut both their throats with the spokeshave. Then went contentedly to bed.
At the stroke of one o'clock, the bed began to toss and turn like a stick in a fast moving river, spinning round first one way, then the other, and finally overturning to spill the lad to the floor. "Phew, what a ride that was!" the young man said with satisfaction, and slept like a log. When the king came the next morning to check on the lad, he thought the fellow was dead. But then he opened his eyes and said, "I wonder if I shall learn to shake with fear tomorrow at least?"
The next evening, at midnight, there was a rattling in the chimney, and out of it fell, first a pair of man's legs, then a head, then the trunk to go in between them. Soon the apparition had put himself together, and without invitation he sat down at the table. In a while came a second, then a third and a fourth. Ghost after ghost! They began to throw human skulls from one to the other. "Come and play skittles with us!" they eerily moaned at the young man. "Why not?" he answered. "But the balls are not quite round. I must grind them a little." And he put the skulls in his lathe and made them nice and round. They began to play until just before dawn. When the rooster crowed the ghosts disappeared. "Oh dear, shall I never learn to shake with fear?" grieved the simple lad.
On the third night there was again a terrible noise in the chimney, and down came a coffin containing the body of a bearded old jailer. "My, how cold you are, old man," said the lad, feeling sorry for him; and he laid the corpse beside him in his bed. As soon as the body warmed up, it came to life, and the old man grabbed hold of the young fellow. "Come and try your strength with me," the gaoler grunted. "If you do not shake with fear, you shall die!"
"Indeed, that is why I am here," replied the lad.
The corpse led him off through secret passages to the dungeons. There it thrust an iron pillory into the ground with a single blow. "I can do better than that," smiled the lad, and he swung an axe and caught the old man's long beard in the pillory. At once there was a noise like thunder, and in the place where the old man had stood was a huge, sparkling heap of diamonds, silver, and gold. When the king came the next morning he could not believe his eyes. He gladly gave the young man his daughter's hand in matrimony.
Now believe it or not, it was the young fellow's wife who taught him to shake until his teeth rattled. How" Every morning she poured a bucket of icy water into his bed. Thus it was that the lad finally learned to do what he had wanted to for so long.
A passing wayfarer heard these words, and smiling to himself, led the young man to a gallows. "Stay here till morning," he told him, "and you will soon know what it is to fear." And he went on his way. The lad sat down beneath the gallows and lit a fire. The night was frigid; seven corpses swung from the beams until their bones creaked, and shadowy bats flitted past. "Dear me, those fellows will catch their deaths of cold," thought the foolish lad, and since he had a good heart he untied the corpses and sat them down beside him round the fire. In a little while their rotten clothes began to smoulder, but the hanged men did not move a muscle. "Stupid fellows, must I do everything for you?" the young man scolded them, beating sparks from the glowing cloth; and he hung his silent companions back on the gallows.
The wayfarer again came by in the morning. "Well, my good fellow, have you learned to be afraid?" he asked with a smile. "It was no good," said the lad. "And even those men up there did nothing to help, though I sat them down beside me." The wayfarer was astonished. "Never have I seen such a fearless boy," he exclaimed. And he took the lad off to see the king.
The king listened to the tale of the young fellow's heroism, then said, "So you wish at all costs to learn to shake with fear" Very well. Not far from here is a haunted castle. Demons guard a great treasure there. If you can remain there for three nights, you shall have my daughter for your wife. But you may take only three things with you."
The next day the lad ordered the servants to bring along a vice, a spokeshave and a lathe, and they set off for the haunted castle. Night fell, and the young man lit a fire in the hearth and waited to see what would happen. Midnight struck, and into the chamber rushed a black hound with bloody fangs and a gray cat with fiery eyes. They spoke fiercely, snarling, "Come and play cards with us. If you lose, we shall tear you to pieces!" "Why not?" said the lad. "But your long claws might tear the cards. First I must trim them a little with the spokeshave!" The dog and cat agreed and obediently placed their paws in the vice; the fellow screwed it down on their claws, and cut both their throats with the spokeshave. Then went contentedly to bed.
At the stroke of one o'clock, the bed began to toss and turn like a stick in a fast moving river, spinning round first one way, then the other, and finally overturning to spill the lad to the floor. "Phew, what a ride that was!" the young man said with satisfaction, and slept like a log. When the king came the next morning to check on the lad, he thought the fellow was dead. But then he opened his eyes and said, "I wonder if I shall learn to shake with fear tomorrow at least?"
The next evening, at midnight, there was a rattling in the chimney, and out of it fell, first a pair of man's legs, then a head, then the trunk to go in between them. Soon the apparition had put himself together, and without invitation he sat down at the table. In a while came a second, then a third and a fourth. Ghost after ghost! They began to throw human skulls from one to the other. "Come and play skittles with us!" they eerily moaned at the young man. "Why not?" he answered. "But the balls are not quite round. I must grind them a little." And he put the skulls in his lathe and made them nice and round. They began to play until just before dawn. When the rooster crowed the ghosts disappeared. "Oh dear, shall I never learn to shake with fear?" grieved the simple lad.
On the third night there was again a terrible noise in the chimney, and down came a coffin containing the body of a bearded old jailer. "My, how cold you are, old man," said the lad, feeling sorry for him; and he laid the corpse beside him in his bed. As soon as the body warmed up, it came to life, and the old man grabbed hold of the young fellow. "Come and try your strength with me," the gaoler grunted. "If you do not shake with fear, you shall die!"
"Indeed, that is why I am here," replied the lad.
The corpse led him off through secret passages to the dungeons. There it thrust an iron pillory into the ground with a single blow. "I can do better than that," smiled the lad, and he swung an axe and caught the old man's long beard in the pillory. At once there was a noise like thunder, and in the place where the old man had stood was a huge, sparkling heap of diamonds, silver, and gold. When the king came the next morning he could not believe his eyes. He gladly gave the young man his daughter's hand in matrimony.
Now believe it or not, it was the young fellow's wife who taught him to shake until his teeth rattled. How" Every morning she poured a bucket of icy water into his bed. Thus it was that the lad finally learned to do what he had wanted to for so long.