THE SISTER OF THE SUN

Edition and rights: Original English text from Project Gutenberg ebook #31201, marked public domain in the USA. The literary text below is reproduced without AI rewriting.

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A long time ago there lived a young prince whose
favourite playfellow was the son of the gardener who
lived in the grounds of the palace. The king would have
preferred his choosing a friend from the pages who were
brought up at court; but the prince would have nothing
to say to them, and as he was a spoilt child, and allowed
his way in all things, and the gardener’s boy was quiet
and well-behaved, he was suffered to be in the palace,
morning, noon, and night.

The game the children loved the best was a match at
archery, for the king had given them two bows exactly
alike, and they would spend whole days in trying to see
which could shoot the highest. This is always very
dangerous, and it was a great wonder they did not put
their eyes out; but somehow or other they managed to
escape.

One morning, when the prince had done his lessons,
he ran out to call his friend, and they both hurried off to
the lawn which was their usual playground. They took
their bows out of the little hut where their toys were kept,
and began to see which could shoot the highest. At last
they happened to let fly their arrows both together, and
when they fell to earth again the tail feather of a golden
hen was found sticking in one. Now the question began
to arise whose was the lucky arrow, for they were both
alike, and look as closely as you would you could see
no difference between them. The prince declared that
the arrow was his, and the gardener’s boy was quite sure
[Pg 216]
it was his—and on this occasion he was perfectly right;
but, as they could not decide the matter, they went
straight to the king.

When the king had heard the story, he decided that
the feather belonged to his son; but the other boy would
not listen to this and claimed the feather for himself. At
length the king’s patience gave way, and he said angrily:

‘Very well; if you are so sure that the feather is
yours, yours it shall be; only you will have to seek till
you find a golden hen with a feather missing from her
tail. And if you fail to find her your head will be the
forfeit.’

The boy had need of all his courage to listen silently
to the king’s words. He had no idea where the golden
hen might be, or even, if he discovered that, how he was
to get to her. But there was nothing for it but to do the
king’s bidding, and he felt that the sooner he left the
palace the better. So he went home and put some food
into a bag, and then set forth, hoping that some accident
might show him which path to take.

After walking for several hours he met a fox, who
seemed inclined to be friendly, and the boy was so glad to
have anyone to talk to that he sat down and entered into
conversation.

‘Where are you going?’ asked the fox.

‘I have got to find a golden hen who has lost a feather
out of her tail,’ answered the boy; ‘but I don’t know
where she lives or how I shall catch her!’

‘Oh, I can show you the way!’ said the fox, who was
really very good-natured. ‘Far towards the east, in that
direction, lives a beautiful maiden who is called “The
Sister of the Sun.” She has three golden hens in her
house. Perhaps the feather belongs to one of them.’

The boy was delighted at this news, and they walked
on all day together, the fox in front, and the boy behind.
When evening came they lay down to sleep, and put the
knapsack under their heads for a pillow.

[Pg 217]
Suddenly, about midnight, the fox gave a low whine,
and drew nearer to his bedfellow. ‘Cousin,’ he whispered
very low, ‘there is someone coming who will take the
knapsack away from me. Look over there!’ And the
boy, peeping through the bushes, saw a man.

‘Oh, I don’t think he will rob us!’ said the boy; and
when the man drew near, he told them his story, which
so much interested the stranger that he asked leave to
travel with them, as he might be of some use. So when
the sun rose they set out again, the fox in front as before,
the man and boy following.

After some hours they reached the castle of the Sister
of the Sun, who kept the golden hens among her treasures.
They halted before the gate and took counsel as to which of
them should go in and see the lady herself.

‘I think it would be best for me to enter and steal the
hens,’ said the fox; but this did not please the boy at all.

‘No, it is my business, so it is right that I should go,’
answered he.

‘You will find it a very difficult matter to get hold of
the hens,’ replied the fox.

‘Oh, nothing is likely to happen to me,’ returned the
boy.

‘Well, go then,’ said the fox, ‘but be careful not to
make any mistake. Steal only the hen which has the
feather missing from her tail, and leave the others alone.’

The man listened, but did not interfere, and the boy
entered the court of the palace.

He soon spied the three hens strutting proudly about,
though they were really anxiously wondering if there
were not some grains lying on the ground that they might
be glad to eat. And as the last one passed by him, he
saw she had one feather missing from her tail.

At this sight the youth darted forward and seized the
hen by the neck so that she could not struggle. Then,
tucking her comfortably under his arm, he made straight
for the gate. Unluckily, just as he was about to go
[Pg 218]
through it he looked back and caught a glimpse of
wonderful splendours from an open door of the palace.
‘After all, there is no hurry,’ he said to himself; ‘I may
as well see something now I am here,’ and turned back,
forgetting all about the hen, which escaped from under
his arm, and ran to join her sisters.

He was so much fascinated by the sight of all the
beautiful things which peeped through the door that he
scarcely noticed that he had lost the prize he had won;
and he did not remember there was such a thing as a hen
in the world when he beheld the Sister of the Sun sleeping
on a bed before him.

For some time he stood staring; then he came to
himself with a start, and feeling that he had no business
there, softly stole away, and was fortunate enough to
recapture the hen, which he took with him to the gate.
On the threshold he stopped again. ‘Why should I not
look at the Sister of the Sun?’ he thought to himself;
‘she is asleep, and will never know.’ And he turned back
for the second time and entered the chamber, while the
hen wriggled herself free as before. When he had gazed
his fill he went out into the courtyard and picked up his
hen who was seeking for corn.

As he drew near the gate he paused. ‘Why did I not
give her a kiss?’ he said to himself; ‘I shall never kiss
any woman so beautiful.’ And he wrung his hands with
regret, so that the hen fell to the ground and ran away.

‘But I can do it still!’ he cried with delight, and he
rushed back to the chamber and kissed the sleeping
maiden on the forehead. But, alas! when he came out
again he found that the hen had grown so shy that she
would not let him come near her. And, worse than that,
her sisters began to cluck so loud that the Sister of the
Sun was awakened by the noise. She jumped up in haste
from her bed, and going to the door she said to the boy:

‘You shall never, never, have my hen till you bring

[Pg 221]
me back my sister who was carried off by a giant to his
castle, which is a long way off.’

Slowly and sadly the youth left the palace and told
his story to his friends, who were waiting outside the gate,
how he had actually held the hen three times in his arms
and had lost her.

‘I knew that we should not get off so easily,’ said the
fox, shaking his head; ‘but there is no more time to waste.
Let us set off at once in search of the sister. Luckily, I
know the way.’

They walked on for many days, till at length the fox,
who, as usual, was going first, stopped suddenly.

‘The giant’s castle is not far now,’ he said, ‘but when
we reach it you two must remain outside while I go and
fetch the princess. Directly I bring her out you must
both catch hold of her tight, and get away as fast as you
can; while I return to the castle and talk to the giants—for
there are many of them—so that they may not notice
the escape of the princess.’

A few minutes later they arrived at the castle, and the
fox, who had often been there before, slipped in without
difficulty. There were several giants, both young and
old, in the hall, and they were all dancing round the
princess. As soon as they saw the fox they cried out:
‘Come and dance too, old fox; it is a long time since we
have seen you.’

So the fox stood up, and did his steps with the best of
them; but after a while he stopped and said:

‘I know a charming new dance that I should like to
show you; but it can only be done by two people. If the
princess will honour me for a few minutes, you will soon
see how it is done.’

‘Ah, that is delightful; we want something new,’
answered they, and placed the princess between the outstretched
arms of the fox. In one instant he had knocked
over the great stand of lights that lighted the hall, and
in the darkness had borne the princess to the gate. His
[Pg 222]
comrades seized hold of her, as they had been bidden,
and the fox was back again in the hall before anyone
had missed him. He found the giants busy trying to
kindle a fire and get some light; but after a bit someone
cried out:

‘Where is the princess?’

‘Here, in my arms,’ replied the fox. ‘Don’t be afraid;
she is quite safe.’ And he waited until he thought that his
comrades had gained a good start, and put at least five or
six mountains between themselves and the giants. Then
he sprang through the door, calling, as he went: ‘The
maiden is here; take her if you can!’

At these words the giants understood that their prize had
escaped, and they ran after the fox as fast as their great
legs could carry them, thinking that they should soon
come up with the fox, who they supposed had the
princess on his back. The fox, on his side, was far too
clever to choose the same path that his friends had
taken, but wound in and out of the forest, till at last
even he was tired out, and fell fast asleep under a tree.
Indeed, he was so exhausted with his day’s work that he
never heard the approach of the giants, and their hands
were already stretched out to seize his tail when his eyes
opened, and with a tremendous bound he was once more
beyond their reach. All the rest of the night the fox ran
and ran; but when bright red spread over the east, he
stopped and waited till the giants were close upon him.
Then he turned, and said quietly: ‘Look, there is the
Sister of the Sun!’

The giants raised their eyes all at once, and were
instantly turned into pillars of stone. The fox then made
each pillar a low bow, and set off to join his friends.

He knew a great many short cuts across the hills, so
it was not long before he came up with them, and all four
travelled night and day till they reached the castle of
the Sister of the Sun. What joy and feasting there was
throughout the palace at the sight of the princess whom
[Pg 223]
they had mourned as dead! and they could not make
enough of the boy who had gone through such dangers
in order to rescue her. The golden hen was given to him
at once, and, more than that, the Sister of the Sun told him
that, in a little time, when he was a few years older, she
would herself pay a visit to his home and become his
wife. The boy could hardly believe his ears when he
heard what was in store for him, for this was the most
beautiful princess in all the world; and however thick the
darkness might be, it fled away at once from the light of
a star on her forehead.

So the boy set forth on his journey home, with his
friends for company; his heart full of gladness when he
thought of the promise of the princess. But, one by one,
his comrades dropped off at the places where they had
first met him, and he was quite alone when he reached
his native town and the gates of the palace. With the
golden hen under his arm he presented himself before the
king, and told his adventures, and how he was going to
have for a wife a princess so wonderful and unlike all other
princesses, that the star on her forehead could turn night
into day. The king listened silently, and when the boy
had done, he said quietly: ‘If I find that your story is not
true I will have you thrown into a cask of pitch.’

‘It is true—every word of it,’ answered the boy; and
went on to tell that the day and even the hour were
fixed when his bride was to come and seek him.

But as the time drew near, and nothing was heard
of the princess, the youth became anxious and uneasy,
especially when it came to his ears that the great cask
was being filled with pitch, and that sticks were laid
underneath to make a fire to boil it with. All day long
the boy stood at the window, looking over the sea by which
the princess must travel; but there were no signs of her,
not even the tiniest white sail. And, as he stood, soldiers
came and laid hands on him, and led him up to the cask,
where a big fire was blazing, and the horrid black pitch
[Pg 224]
boiling and bubbling over the sides. He looked and
shuddered, but there was no escape; so he shut his eyes to
avoid seeing.

The word was given for him to mount the steps which
led to the top of the cask, when, suddenly, some men were
seen running with all their might, crying as they went that
a large ship with its sails spread was making straight for
the city. No one knew what the ship was, or whence it
came; but the king declared that he would not have the
boy burned before its arrival, there would always be time
enough for that.

At length the vessel was safe in port, and a whisper
went through the watching crowd that on board was the
Sister of the Sun, who had come to marry the young
peasant, as she had promised. In a few moments more
she had landed, and desired to be shown the way to the
cottage which her bridegroom had so often described to her;
and whither he had been led back by the king’s order at
the first sign of the ship.

‘Don’t you know me?’ asked the Sister of the Sun,
bending over him where he lay, almost driven out of his
senses with terror.

‘No, no; I don’t know you,’ answered the youth,
without raising his eyes.

‘Kiss me,’ said the Sister of the Sun; and the youth
obeyed her, but still without looking up.

‘Don’t you know me now?’ asked she.

‘No, I don’t know you—I don’t know you,’ he replied,
with the manner of a man whom fear had driven mad.

At this the Sister of the Sun grew rather frightened,
and beginning at the beginning, she told him the story
of his meeting with her, and how she had come a long
way in order to marry him. And just as she had finished
in walked the king, to see if what the boy had said was really
true. But hardly had he opened the door of the cottage
when he was almost blinded by the light that filled it; and
he remembered what he had been told about the star on
[Pg 225]
the forehead of the princess. He staggered back as if
he had been struck, then a curious feeling took hold of
him, which he had never felt before, and falling on his
knees before the Sister of the Sun he implored her to
give up all thought of the peasant boy, and to share his
throne. But she only laughed, and said she had a finer
throne of her own, if she wanted to sit on it, and that she
was free to please herself, and would have no husband
but the boy whom she would never have seen except for
the king himself.

[Pg 226]
‘I shall marry him to-morrow,’ ended she; and ordered
the preparations to be set on foot at once.

When the next day came, however, the bridegroom’s
father informed the princess that, by the law of the land,
the marriage must take place in the presence of the king;
but he hoped his majesty would not long delay his arrival.
An hour or two passed, and everyone was waiting and
watching, when at last the sound of trumpets was heard
and a grand procession was seen marching up the street.
A chair covered with velvet had been made ready for the
king, and he took his seat upon it, and, looking round upon
the assembled company, he said:

‘I have no wish to forbid this marriage; but, before I
can allow it to be celebrated, the bridegroom must prove
himself worthy of such a bride by fulfilling three tasks.
And the first is that in a single day he must cut down
every tree in an entire forest.’

The youth stood aghast at the king’s words. He had
never cut down a tree in his life, and had not the least
idea how to begin. And as for a whole forest——! But
the princess saw what was passing in his mind, and
whispered to him:

‘Don’t be afraid. In my ship you will find an axe,
which you must carry off to the forest. When you have
cut down one tree with it just say: “So let the forest fall,”
and in an instant all the trees will be on the ground.
But pick up three chips of the tree you have felled, and
put them in your pocket.’

And the young man did exactly as he was bid, and
soon returned with the three chips safe in his coat.

The following morning the princess declared that she
had been thinking about the matter, and that, as she was
not a subject of the king, she saw no reason why she
should be bound by his laws; and she meant to be married
that very day. But the bridegroom’s father told her
that it was all very well for her to talk like that, but it was
quite different for his son, who would pay with his head for
[Pg 227]
any disobedience to the king’s commands. However, in
consideration of what the youth had done the day before,
he hoped his majesty’s heart might be softened, especially
as he had sent a message that they might expect him at
once. With this the bridal pair had to be content, and
be as patient as they could till the king’s arrival.

He did not keep them long, but they saw by his face
that nothing good awaited them.

‘The marriage cannot take place,’ he said shortly, ‘till
the youth has joined to their roots all the trees he cut
down yesterday.’

This sounded much more difficult than what he had
done before, and he turned in despair to the Sister of the
Sun.

‘It is all right,’ she whispered encouragingly. ‘Take
this water and sprinkle it on one of the fallen trees, and
say to it: “So let all the trees of the forest stand upright,”
and in a moment they will be erect again.’

And the young man did what he was told, and left
the forest looking exactly as it had done before.

Now, surely, thought the princess, there was no longer
any need to put off the wedding; and she gave orders that
all should be ready for the following day. But again the
old man interfered, and declared that without the king’s
permission no marriage could take place. For the third
time his majesty was sent for, and for the third time he
proclaimed that he could not give his consent until the
bridegroom should have slain a serpent which dwelt in a
broad river that flowed at the back of the castle. Everyone
knew stories of this terrible serpent, though no one
had actually seen it; but from time to time a child strayed
from home and never came back, and then mothers would
forbid the other children to go near the river, which had
juicy fruits and lovely flowers growing along its banks.

So no wonder the youth trembled and turned pale
when he heard what lay before him.

‘You will succeed in this also,’ whispered the Sister of
[Pg 228]
the Sun, pressing his hand, ‘for in my ship is a magic sword
which will cut through everything. Go down to the river
and unfasten a boat which lies moored there, and throw
the chips into the water. When the serpent rears up its
body you will cut off its three heads with one blow of your
sword. Then take the tip of each tongue and go with it
to-morrow morning into the king’s kitchen. If the king
himself should enter, just say to him: “Here are three
gifts I offer you in return for the services you demanded
of me!” and throw the tips of the serpent’s tongues at
him, and hasten to the ship as fast as your legs will carry
you. But be sure you take great care never to look
behind you.’

The young man did exactly what the princess had
told him. The three chips which he flung into the river
became a boat, and, as he steered across the stream, the
serpent put up its head and hissed loudly. The youth
had his sword ready, and in another second the three
heads were bobbing on the water. Guiding his boat till
he was beside them, he stooped down and snipped off
the ends of the tongues, and then rowed back to the
other bank. Next morning he carried them into the
royal kitchen, and when the king entered, as was his
custom, to see what he was going to have for dinner, the
bridegroom flung them in his face, saying: ‘Here is a
gift for you in return for the services you asked of me.’
And, opening the kitchen door, he fled to the ship.
Unluckily he missed the way, and in his excitement ran
backwards and forwards, without knowing whither he
was going. At last, in despair, he looked round, and saw
to his amazement that both the city and palace had
vanished completely. Then he turned his eyes in the
other direction and, far, far away, he caught sight of the
ship with her sails spread, and a fair wind behind her.

This dreadful spectacle seemed to take away his
senses, and all day long he wandered about, without
knowing where he was going, till, in the evening, he
[Pg 229]
noticed some smoke from a little hut of turf near by.
He went straight up to it and cried: ‘O mother, let me
come in for pity’s sake!’ The old woman who lived in
the hut beckoned to him to enter, and hardly was he
inside when he cried again: ‘O mother, can you tell me
anything of the Sister of the Sun?’

But the old woman only shook her head. ‘No, I
know nothing of her,’ said she.

The young man turned to leave the hut, but the old
woman stopped him, and, giving him a letter, begged him
to carry it to her next eldest sister, saying: ‘If you should
get tired on the way, take out the letter and rustle the
paper.’

This advice surprised the young man a good deal,
as he did not see how it could help him; but he did not
answer, and went down the road without knowing where
he was going. At length he grew so tired he could walk
no more; then he remembered what the old woman had
said. After he had rustled the leaves only once all
fatigue disappeared, and he strode gaily over the grass till
he came to another little turf hut.

‘Let me in, I pray you, dear mother,’ cried he. And
the door opened in front of him. ‘Your sister has sent
you this letter,’ he said, and added quickly: ‘O mother!
can you tell me anything of the Sister of the Sun?’

‘No, I know nothing of her,’ answered she. But as
he turned hopelessly away, she stopped him.

‘If you happen to pass my eldest sister’s house, will
you give her this letter?’ said she. ‘And if you should
get tired on the road, just take it out of your pocket and
rustle the paper.’

So the young man put the letter in his pocket, and
walked all day over the hills till he reached a little turf
hut, exactly like the other two.

‘Let me in, I pray you, dear mother,’ cried he. And as
he entered he added: ‘Here is a letter from your sister,
and—can you tell me anything of the Sister of the Sun?’

[Pg 230]
‘Yes, I can,’ answered the old woman. ‘She lives in
the castle on the Banka. Her father lost a battle only a
few days ago because you had stolen his sword from him,
and the Sister of the Sun herself is almost dead of grief.
But, when you see her, stick a pin into the palm of her
hand, and suck the drops of blood that flow. Then she
will grow calmer, and will know you again. Only,
beware; for before you reach the castle on the Banka
fearful things will happen.’

He thanked the old woman with tears of gladness for
the good news she had given him, and continued his
journey. But he had not gone very far when, at a turn
of the road, he met with two brothers, who were quarrelling
over a piece of cloth.

‘My good men, what are you fighting about?’ said
he. ‘That cloth does not look worth much!’

‘Oh, it is ragged enough,’ answered they, ‘but it was
left us by our father, and if any man wraps it round him
no one can see him; and we each want it for our own.’

‘Let me put it round me for a moment,’ said the youth,
‘and then I will tell you whose it ought to be!’

The brothers were pleased with this idea, and gave
him the stuff; but the moment he had thrown it over
his shoulder he disappeared as completely as if he had
never been there at all.

Meanwhile the young man walked briskly along, till
he came up with two other men, who were disputing over
a table-cloth.

‘What is the matter?’ asked he, stopping in front of
them.

‘If this cloth is spread on a table,’ answered they,
‘the table is instantly covered with the most delicious
food; and we each want to have it.’

‘Let me try the table-cloth,’ said the youth, ‘and I
will tell you whose it ought to be.’

The two men were quite pleased with this idea, and
handed him the cloth. He then hastily threw the first
[Pg 231]
piece of stuff round his shoulders and vanished from sight,
leaving the two men grieving over their own folly.

The young man had not walked far before he saw two
more men standing by the road-side, both grasping the
same stout staff, and sometimes one seemed on the point
of getting it, and sometimes the other.

‘What are you quarrelling about? You could cut a
dozen sticks from the wood each just as good as that!’
said the young man. And as he spoke the fighters both
stopped and looked at him.

‘Ah! you may think so,’ said one, ‘but a blow from
one end of this stick will kill a man, while a touch from
the other end will bring him back to life. You won’t
easily find another stick like that!’

‘No; that is true,’ answered the young man. ‘Let
me just look at it, and I will tell you whose it ought
to be.’

The men were pleased with the idea, and handed him
the staff.

‘It is very curious, certainly,’ said he; ‘but which end
is it that restores people to life? After all, anyone can
be killed by a blow from a stick if it is only hard enough!’
But when he was shown the end he threw the stuff over
his shoulders and vanished.

At last he saw another set of men, who were struggling
for the possession of a pair of shoes.

‘Why can’t you leave that pair of old shoes alone?’
said he. ‘Why, you could not walk a yard in them!’

‘Yes, they are old enough,’ answered they; ‘but whoever
puts them on and wishes himself at a particular place,
gets there without going.’

‘That sounds very clever,’ said the youth. ‘Let me
try them, and then I shall be able to tell you whose they
ought to be.’

The idea pleased the men, and they handed him the
shoes; but the moment they were on his feet he cried:

‘I wish to be in the castle on the Banka!’ And before
[Pg 232]
he knew it, he was there, and found the Sister of the Sun
dying of grief. He knelt down by her side, and pulling
out a pin he stuck it into the palm of her hand, so that
a drop of blood gushed out. This he sucked, as he had
been told to do by the old woman, and immediately the
princess came to herself, and flung her arms round his
neck. Then she told him all her story, and what had
happened since the ship had sailed away without him.
‘But the worst misfortune of all,’ she added, ‘was a
battle which my father lost because you had vanished
with his magic sword; and out of his whole army hardly
one man was left.’

‘Show me the battle-field,’ said he. And she took him
to a wild heath, where the dead were lying as they fell,
waiting for burial. One by one he touched them with
the end of his staff, till at length they all stood before
him. Throughout the kingdom there was nothing but
joy; and this time the wedding was really celebrated. And
the bridal pair lived happily in the castle on the Banka
till they died.

[Lappländische Mährchen.]

[Pg 233]