Black Bull of Norroway
In
Norroway, long time ago, there lived a certain lady, and she had three
daughters: The oldest of them said to her mother: "Mother, bake me a
bannock, and roast me a collop, for I'm going away to seek my fortune."
Her mother did so; and the daughter went away to an old witch
washerwife and told her purpose. The old wife bade her stay that day,
and look out of her back-door, and see what she could see. She saw
nought the first day. The second day she did the same, and saw nought.
On the third day she looked again, and saw a coach-and-six coming along
the road. She ran in and told the old wife what she saw. "Well," quoth
the old woman, "yon's for you." So they took her into the coach and
galloped off.
The second daughter next says to her mother:
"Mother, bake me a bannock, and roast me a collop, for I'm going away
to seek my fortune." Her mother did so; and away she went to the old
wife, as her sister had done. On the third day she looked out of the
back-door, and saw a coach-and-four coming along the road. "Well,"
quoth the old woman, "yon's for you." So they took her in, and off they
set.
The third daughter says to her mother: "Mother, bake me a
bannock, and roast me a collop, for I'm going away to seek my fortune."
Her mother did so; and away she went to the old witch. She bade her
look out of her back-door, and see what she could see She did so; and
when she came back, said she saw nought. The second day she did the
same, and saw nought. The third day she looked again, and on coming
back said to the old wife she saw nought but a great Black Bull coming
crooning along the road. "Well," quoth the old witch, "yon's for you."
On hearing this she was next to distracted with grief and terror; but
she was lifted up and set on his back, and away they went.
Aye
they travelled, and on they travelled, till the lady grew faint with
hunger. "Eat out of my right ear," says the Black Bull, "and drink out
of my left ear, and set by your leaving." So she did as he said, and
was wonderfully refreshed. And long they rode, and hard they rode, till
they came in sight of a very big and bonny castle. "Yonder we must be
this night," quoth the Bull; "for my elder brother lives yonder;" and
presently they were at the place. They lifted her off his back, and
took her in, and sent him away to a park for the night. In the morning,
when they brought the Bull home, they took the lady into a fine shining
parlour, and gave her a beautiful apple, telling her not to break it
till she was in the greatest strait ever mortal was in the world, and
that would bring her out of it. Again she was lifted on the Bull's
back, and after she had ridden far, and farther than I can tell, they
came in sight of a far bonnier castle, and far farther away than the
last. Says the Bull to her: "Yonder we must be this night, for my
second brother lives yonder;" and they were at the place directly. They
lifted her down and took her in, and sent the Bull to the field for the
night. In the morning they took the lady into a fine and rich room, and
gave her the finest pear she had ever seen, bidding her not to break it
till she was in the greatest strait ever mortal could be in, and that
would get her out of it. Again she was lifted and set on his back, and
away they went. And long they rode, and hard they rode, till they came
in sight of the far biggest castle and far farthest off, they had yet
seen. "We must be yonder to-night," says the Bull, "for my young
brother lives yonder;" and they were there directly. They lifted her
down, took her in, and sent the Bull to the field for the night. In the
morning they took her into a room, the finest of all, and gave her a
plum, telling her not to break it till she was in the greatest strait
mortal could be in, and that would get her out of it. Presently they
brought home the Bull, set the lady on his back, and away they went.
And
aye they rode, and on they rode, till they came to a dark and ugsome
glen, where they stopped, and the lady lighted down. Says the Bull to
her: "Here you must stay till I go and fight the Old One. You must seat
yourself on that stone, and move neither hand nor foot till I come
back, else I'll never find you again. And if everything round about you
turns blue, I have beaten the Old One; but should all things turn red,
he'll have conquered me." She set herself down on the stone, and
by-and-by all round her turned blue. Overcome with joy, she lifted one
of her feet, and crossed it over the other, so glad was she that her
companion was victorious. The Bull returned and sought for her, but
never could find her.
Long she sat, and aye she wept, till she
wearied. At last she rose and went away, she didn't know where. On she
wandered, till she came to a great hill of glass, that she tried all
she could to climb, but wasn't able. Round the bottom of the hill she
went, sobbing and seeking a passage over, till at last she came to a
smith's house; and the smith promised, if she would serve him seven
years, he would make her iron shoon, wherewith she could climb over the
glassy hill. At seven years' end she got her iron shoon, clomb the
glassy hill, and chanced to come to the old washerwife's habitation.
There she was told of a gallant young knight that had given in some
clothes all over blood to wash, and whoever washed them was to be his
wife. The old wife had washed till she was tired, and then she set her
daughter at it, and both washed, and they washed, and they washed, in
hopes of getting the young knight; but for all they could do they
couldn't bring out a stain. At length they set the stranger damsel to
work; and whenever she began, the stains came out pure and clean, and
the old wife made the knight believe it was her daughter had washed the
clothes. So the knight and the eldest daughter were to be married, and
the stranger damsel was distracted at the thought of it, for she was
deeply in love with him. So she bethought her of her apple and breaking
it, found it filled with gold and precious jewellery, the richest she
had ever seen. "All these," she said to the eldest daughter, "I will
give you, on condition that you put off your marriage for one day and
allow me to go into his room alone at night." The lady consented; but
meanwhile the old wife had prepared a sleeping drink, and given it to
the knight who drank it, and never wakened till next morning. The
live-long night the damsel sobbed and sang:
"Seven long years I served for thee, The glassy hill I clomb for thee, Thy bloody clothes I wrang for thee; And wilt thou not waken and turn to me?"
Next
day she knew not what to do for grief. Then she broke the pear, and
found it filled with jewellery far richer than the contents of the
apple. With these jewels she bargained for permission to be a second
night in the young knight's chamber; but the old wife gave him another
sleeping drink, and again he slept till morning. All night she kept
sighing and singing as before:
"Seven long years I served for thee, The glassy hill I clomb for thee, Thy bloody clothes I wrang for thee; And wilt thou not waken and turn to me?" Still
he slept, and she nearly lost hope altogether, But that day, when he
was out hunting, somebody asked him what noise and moaning was that
they heard all last night in his bedchamber. He said: "I have heard no
noise." But they assured him there was; and he resolved to keep waking
that night to try what he could hear. That being the third night and
the damsel being between hope and despair, she broke her plum, and it
held far the richest jewellery of the three. She bargained as before;
and the old wife, as before, took in the sleeping drink to the young
knight's chamber; but he told her he couldn't drink it that night
without sweetening. And when she went away for some honey to sweeten it
with, he poured out the drink, and so made the old wife think he had
drunk it. They all went to bed again, and the damsel began, as before,
singing:
"Seven long years I served for thee, The glassy hill I clomb for thee, Thy bloody clothes I wrang for thee; And wilt thou not waken and turn to me?" He
heard, and turned to her. And she told him all that had befallen her,
and he told her all that had happened to him. And he caused the old
washerwife and her daughter to be burnt. And they were married, and he
and she are living happy to this day for aught I know.
| All English Fairy Tales
THE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
JACK THE GIANT-KILLER
THE PIED PIPER OF FRANCHVILLE
THE STORY OF THE THREE BEARS
TOM TIT TOT
THE THREE SILLIES
THE ROSE-TREE
THE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG
HOW JACK WENT TO SEEK HIS FORTUNE
MR. VINEGAR
NIX NOUGHT NOTHING
JACK HANNAFORD
BINNORIE
MOUSE AND MOUSER
CAP O' RUSHES
TEENY-TINY
THE MASTER AND HIS PUPIL
TITTY MOUSE ND TATTY MOUSE
JACK AND HIS GOLDEN SNUFF-BOX
HENNY-PENNY
CHILDE ROWLAND
MOLLY WHUPPIE
THE RED ETTIN
MASTER OF ALL MASTERS.
THE GOLDEN ARM
THE HISTORY OF TOM THUMB
MR. FOX
LAZY JACK
JOHNNY-CAKE
EARL MAR'S DAUGHTER
MR. MIACCA
WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT
THE STRANGE VISITOR
THE LAIDLY WORM OF SPINDLESTON HEUGH
THE CAT AND THE MOUSE.
THE FISH AND THE RING.
THE MAGPIE'S NEST
KATE CRACKERNUTS
THE CAULD LAD OF HILTON
THE ASS, THE TABLE, AND THE STICK
FAIRY OINTMENT
THE WELL OF THE WORLD'S END.
THE THREE HEADS OF THE WELL |