A certain
father had two sons, the elder of whom was smart and sensible, and could
do everything, but the younger 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 who was forced to do it; but if his father
bade him fetch anything when it was late, or in the night-time, and the
way led through the churchyard, or any other dismal place, he answered
"Oh, no, father, I'll not go there, it makes me shudder!" for he was
afraid. Or when stories were told by the fire at night which made the
flesh creep, the listeners sometimes said "Oh, it makes us shudder!" The
younger sat in a corner and listened with the rest of them, and could
not imagine what they could mean. "They are always saying 'it makes me
shudder, it makes me shudder!' It does not make me shudder," thought he.
"That, too, must be an art of which I understand nothing."
Now it came to pass that his father said to him one day
"Hearken to me, thou fellow in the corner there, thou art growing tall
and strong, and thou too must learn something by which thou canst earn
thy living. Look how thy brother works, but thou dost not even earn thy
salt." - "Well, father," he replied, "I am quite willing to learn
something - indeed, if it could but be managed, I should like to learn
how to shudder. I don't understand that at all yet." The elder brother
smiled when he heard that, and thought to himself, "Good God, what a
blockhead that brother of mine is! He will never be good for anything as
long as he lives. He who wants to be a sickle must bend himself
betimes." The father sighed, and answered him "thou shalt soon learn
what it is to shudder, but thou wilt not earn thy bread by that."
Soon after this the sexton came to the house on a visit, and
the father bewailed his trouble, and told him how his younger son was
so backward in every respect that he knew nothing and learnt nothing.
"Just think," said he, "when I asked him how he was going to earn his
bread, he actually wanted to learn to shudder." - "If that be all,"
replied the sexton, "he can learn that with me. Send him to me, and I
will soon polish him." The father was glad to do it, for he thought, "It
will train the boy a little." The sexton therefore took him into his
house, and he had to ring the bell. After a day or two, the sexton awoke
him at midnight, and bade him arise and go up into the church tower and
ring the bell. "Thou shalt soon learn what shuddering is," thought he,
and secretly went there before him; and when the boy was at the top of
the tower and turned round, and was just going to take hold of the bell
rope, he saw a white figure standing on the stairs opposite the sounding
hole. "Who is there?" cried he, but the figure made no reply, and did
not move or stir. "Give an answer," cried the boy, "or take thy self
off, thou hast no business here at night." 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 thou art an
honest fellow, or I will throw thee down the steps!" The sexton thought,
"he can't intend to be as bad as his words," 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. At length
she became uneasy, and wakened the boy, and asked, "Dost thou not know
where my husband is? He climbed up the tower before thou didst." - "No, I
don't know," replied the boy, "but some one 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, just go there and you will see if it was he. I should be
sorry if it were." The woman ran away and found her husband, who was
lying moaning in the corner, and had broken his leg.
She carried him down, and then with loud screams she
hastened to the boy's father. "Your boy," cried she, "has been the cause
of a great misfortune! He has thrown my husband down the steps and made
him break his leg. Take the good-for-nothing fellow away from our
house." The father was terrified, and ran thither and scolded the boy.
"What wicked tricks are these?" said he, "the devil must have put this
into thy head." - "Father," he replied, "do listen to me. I am quite
innocent. He was standing there by night like one who is intending to do
some evil. I did not know who it was, and I entreated him three times
either to speak or to go away." - "Ah," said the father, "I have nothing
but unhappiness with you. Go out of my sight. I will see thee no more."
- "Yes, father, right willingly, wait only until it is day. Then will I
go forth and learn how to shudder, and then I shall, at any rate,
understand one art which will support me." - "Learn what thou wilt,"
spake the father, "it is all the same to me. Here are fifty thalers for
thee. Take these and go into the wide world, and tell no one from whence
thou comest, and who is thy father, for I have reason to be ashamed of
thee." - "Yes, father, it shall be as you will. If you desire nothing
more than that, I can easily keep it in mind."
When day dawned, therefore, the boy put his fifty thalers
into his pocket, and went forth on the great highway, and continually
said to himself, "If I could but shudder! If I could but shudder!" Then a
man approached who heard this conversation which the youth was holding
with himself, and 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 married the ropemaker's daughter, and are now
learning how to fly. Sit down below it, and wait till night comes, and
you will soon learn how to shudder." - "If that is all that is wanted,"
answered the youth, "it is easily done; but if I learn how to shudder as
fast as that, thou shalt have my fifty thalers. Just come back to me
early in the morning." Then the youth went to the gallows, sat down
below it, and waited till evening came. And as he was cold, he lighted
himself a fire, but at midnight the wind blew so sharply that in spite
of his fire, he could not get warm. And as the wind knocked the hanged
men against each other, and they moved backwards and forwards, he
thought to himself "Thou shiverest below by the fire, but how those up
above must freeze and suffer!" And as he felt pity for them, he raised
the ladder, and climbed up, unbound one of them after the other, and
brought down all seven. Then he stirred the fire, blew it, and set them
all round it to warm themselves. But they sat there and did not stir,
and the fire caught their clothes. So he said, "Take care, or I will
hang you up again." The dead men, however, did not hear, but were quite
silent, and let their rags go on burning. On this he grew angry, and
said, "If you will not take care, I cannot help you, I will not be burnt
with you," and he hung them up again each in his turn. Then he sat down
by his fire and fell asleep, and the next morning the man came to him
and wanted to have the fifty thalers, and said, "Well, dost thou know
how to shudder?" - "No," answered he, "how was I to get to know? Those
fellows up there did not open their mouths, and were so stupid that they
let the few old rags which they had on their bodies get burnt." Then
the man saw that he would not get the fifty thalers that day, and went
away saying, "One of this kind has never come my way before."
The youth likewise went his way, and once more began to
mutter to himself, "Ah, if I could but shudder! Ah, if I could but
shudder!" A waggoner who was striding behind him heard that and asked,
"Who are you?" - "I don't know," answered the youth. Then the waggoner
asked, "From whence comest thou?" - "I know not." - "Who is thy father?"
- "That I may not tell thee." - "What is it that thou art always
muttering between thy teeth." - "Ah," replied the youth, "I do so wish I
could shudder, but no one can teach me how to do it." - "Give up thy
foolish chatter," said the waggoner. "Come, go with me, I will see about
a place for thee." The youth went with the waggoner, and in the evening
they arrived at an inn where they wished to pass the night. Then at the
entrance of the room the youth again said quite loudly, "If I could but
shudder! If I could but shudder!" The host who heard this, laughed and
said, "If that is your desire, there ought to be a good opportunity for
you here." - "Ah, be silent," said the hostess, "so many inquisitive
persons have already lost their lives, it would be a pity and a shame if
such beautiful eyes as these should never see the daylight again." But
the youth said, "However difficult it may be, I will learn it and for
this purpose indeed have I journeyed forth." He let the host have no
rest, until the latter told him, that not far from thence stood a
haunted castle where any one could very easily learn what shuddering
was, if he would but watch in it for three nights. The King had promised
that he who would venture should have his daughter to wife, and she was
the most beautiful maiden the sun shone on. Great treasures likewise
lay in the castle, which were guarded by evil spirits, and these
treasures would then be freed, and would make a poor man rich enough.
Already many men had gone into the castle, but as yet none had come out
again. Then the youth went next morning to the King and said if he were
allowed he would watch three nights in the haunted castle. The King
looked at him, and as the youth pleased him, he said, "Thou mayest ask
for three things to take into the castle with thee, but they must be
things without life." Then he answered, "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!" said he, "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, "Au, miau! how cold we
are!" - "You simpletons!" cried he, "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, "Comrade, shall we have a game at 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 my fancy for card-playing has gone," and he
struck them dead and threw them out into the water. But when he had made
away 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, and more and more of them came until he could no longer stir,
and they yelled horribly, and 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 ye, vermin," and began to cut them down. Part 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. "That's right," said he,
"but go faster." Then the bed rolled on as if six horses were harnessed
to it, up and down, over thresholds and steps, 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, he is a handsome
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 get over likewise." Then he went to the innkeeper, who
opened his eyes very wide, and said, "I never expected to see thee alive
again! Hast thou learnt how to shudder yet?" - "No," said he, "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 came, 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 awhile, and at length with a loud scream, half a man came down
the chimney and fell before him. "Hollo!" cried he, "another half
belongs to this. This is too little!" Then the uproar began again, there
was a roaring and howling, and the other half fell down likewise.
"Wait," said he, "I will just blow up the fire a little for thee." When
he had done that and looked round again, the two pieces were joined
together, and a frightful man was sitting in his place. "That is no 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 "Hark you, can I join
you?" - "Yes, if thou hast 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!" said he. "Hurrah! Now it goes merrily!" 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 farthings." - "Hast thou not
shuddered then?" - "Eh, what?" said he, "I have made merry. 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 said he, "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. "Stop," said
he, "I will warm thee 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 thee?" The dead man, however, got up and cried, "Now will I
strangle thee." - "What!" said he, "is that the way thou thankest me?
Thou shalt at once go into thy 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. "Thou
wretch," cried he, "thou shalt soon learn what it is to shudder, for
thou shalt 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 thee," said the
fiend. "Softly, softly, do not talk so big. I am as strong as thou art,
and perhaps even stronger." - "We shall see," said the old man. "If thou
art stronger, I will let thee 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 struck the old man's beard
in with it. "Now I have thee," said the youth. "Now it is thou who will
have to die." Then he seized an iron bar and beat the old man till he
moaned and entreated him to stop, and 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 is thine." In the meantime it struck twelve, and the spirit
disappeared; the youth, therefore, was left 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 thou 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, "thou hast delivered
the castle, and shalt 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 at last she was angry at this. 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 gudgeons 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 gudgeons in it over him, so that the little fishes would
sprawl about him. When this was done, 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!"
* * * END * * *
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