THE THREE MUSICIANS

Edition and rights: Original English text from Project Gutenberg ebook #7277, marked public domain in the USA. The literary text below is reproduced without AI rewriting.

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Once upon a time three musicians left their home and set out on their
travels. They had all learnt music from the same master, and they
determined to stick together and to seek their fortune in foreign lands.
They wandered merrily from place to place and made quite a good living,
and were much appreciated by everyone who heard them play. One evening
they came to a village where they delighted all the company with their
beautiful music. At last they ceased playing, and began to eat and drink
and listen to the talk that was going on around them. They heard all the
gossip of the place, and many wonderful things were related and discussed.
At last the conversation fell on a castle in the neighbourhood, about
which many strange and marvellous things were told. One person said that
hidden treasure was to be found there; another that the richest food was
always to be had there, although the castle was uninhabited; and a third,
that an evil spirit dwelt within the walls, so terrible, that anyone who
forced his way into the castle came out of it more dead than alive.

As soon as the three musicians were alone in their bedroom they agreed to
go and examine the mysterious castle, and, if possible, to find and carry
away the hidden treasure. They determined, too, to make the attempt
separately, one after the other, according to age, and they settled that a
whole day was to be given to each adventurer in which to try his luck.

The fiddler was the first to set out on his adventures, and did so in the
best of spirits and full of courage. When he reached the castle he found
the outer gate open, quite as if he were an expected guest, but no sooner
had he stepped across the entry than the heavy door closed behind him with
a bang, and was bolted with a huge iron bar, exactly as if a sentinel were
doing his office and keeping watch, but no human being was to be seen
anywhere. An awful terror overcame the fiddler; but it was hopeless to
think of turning back or of standing still, and the hopes of finding gold
and other treasures gave him strength and courage to force his way further
into the castle. Upstairs and downstairs he wandered, through lofty halls,
splendid rooms, and lovely little boudoirs, everything beautifully
arranged, and all kept in the most perfect order. But the silence of death
reigned everywhere, and no living thing, not even a fly, was to be seen.
Notwithstanding, the youth felt his spirits return to him when he entered
the lower regions of the castle, for in the kitchen the most tempting and
delicious food was spread out, the cellars were full of the most costly
wine, and the store-room crammed with pots of every sort of jam you can
imagine. A cheerful fire was burning in the kitchen, before which a roast
was being basted by unseen hands, and all kinds of vegetables and other
dainty dishes were being prepared in like manner. Before the fiddler had
time to think, he was ushered into a little room by invisible hands, and
there a table was spread for him with all the delicious food he had seen
cooking in the kitchen.

The youth first seized his fiddle and played a beautiful air on it which
echoed through the silent halls, and then he fell to and began to eat a
hearty meal. Before long, however, the door opened and a tiny man stepped
into the room, not more than three feet high, clothed in a dressing-gown,
and with a small wrinkled face, and a grey beard which reached down to the
silver buckles of his shoes. And the little man sat down beside the
fiddler and shared his meal. When they got to the game course the fiddler
handed the dwarf a knife and fork, and begged him to help himself first,
and then to pass the dish on. The little creature nodded, but helped
himself so clumsily that he dropped the piece of meat he had carved on to
the floor.

The good-natured fiddler bent down to pick it up, but in the twinkling of
an eye the little man had jumped on to his back, and beat him till he was
black and blue all over his head and body. At last, when the fiddler was
nearly dead, the little wretch left off, and shoved the poor fellow out of
the iron gate which he had entered in such good spirits a few hours
before. The fresh air revived him a little, and in a short time he was
able to stagger with aching limbs back to the inn where his companions
were staying. It was night when he reached the place, and the other two
musicians were fast asleep. The next morning they were much astonished at
finding the fiddler in bed beside them, and overwhelmed him with
questions; but their friend hid his back and face, and answered them very
shortly, saying, ‘Go there yourselves, and see what’s to be seen! It is a
ticklish matter, that I can assure you.’

The second musician, who was a trumpeter, now made his way to the castle,
and everything happened to him exactly as it had to the fiddler. He was
just as hospitably entertained at first, and then just as cruelly beaten
and belaboured, so that next morning he too lay in his bed like a wounded
hare, assuring his friends that the task of getting into the haunted
castle was no enviable one. Notwithstanding the warning of his companions,
the third musician, who played the flute, was still determined to try his
luck, and, full of courage and daring, he set out, resolved, if possible,
to find and secure the hidden treasure.

Fearlessly he wandered the whole castle, and as he roamed through the
splendid empty apartments he thought to himself how nice it would be to
live there always, especially with a full larder and cellar at his
disposal. A table was spread for him too, and when he had wandered about
for some time, singing and playing the flute, he sat down as his
companions had done, prepared to enjoy the delicious food that was spread
out in front of him. Then the little man with the beard entered as before
and seated himself beside the flute-player, who wasn’t the least startled
at his appearance, but chatted away to him as if he had known him all his
life. But he didn’t find his companion very communicative. At last they
came to the game, and, as usual, the little man let his piece fall on the
ground. The flute-player was good-naturedly just going to pick it up, when
he perceived that the little dwarf was in the act of springing on his
back. Then he turned round sharply, and, seizing the little creature by
his beard, he gave him such a shaking that he tore his beard out, and the
dwarf sank groaning to the ground.

But as soon as the youth had the beard in his hands he felt so strong that
he was fit for anything, and he perceived all sorts of things in the
castle that he had not noticed before, but, on the other hand, all
strength seemed to have gone from the little man. He whined and sobbed
out: ‘Give, oh give me my beard again, and I will instruct you in all the
magic art that surrounds this castle, and will help you to carry off the
hidden treasure, which will make you rich and happy for ever.’

But the cunning flute-player replied: ‘I will give you back your beard,
but you must first help me as you have promised to do. Till you have done
so, I don’t let your beard out of my hands.’

Then the old man found himself obliged to fulfil his promise, though he
had had no intention of doing so, and had only desired to get his beard
back. He made the youth follow him through dark secret passages,
underground vaults, and grey rocks till at last they came to an open
field, which looked as if it belonged to a more beautiful world than ours.
Then they came to a stream of rushing water; but the little man drew out a
wand and touched the waves, whereupon the waters parted and stood still,
and the two crossed the river with dry feet. And how beautiful everything
on the other side was! lovely green paths leading through woods and fields
covered with flowers, birds with gold and silver feathers singing on the
trees, lovely butterflies and glittering beetles fluttered and crawled
about, and dear little beasts hid in the bushes and hedges. The sky above
them was not blue, but like rays of pure gold, and the stars looked twice
their usual size, and far more brilliant than on our earth.

The youth grew more and more astonished when the little grey man led him
into a castle far bigger and more splendid than the one they had left.
Here, too, the deepest silence reigned. They wandered all through the
castle, and came at last to a room in the middle of which stood a bed hung
all round with heavy curtains. Over the bed hung a bird’s cage, and the
bird inside it was singing beautiful songs into the silent space. The
little grey man lifted the curtains from the bed and beckoned the youth to
approach. On the rich silk cushions embroidered with gold a lovely maiden
lay sleeping. She was as beautiful as an angel, with golden hair which
fell in curls over her marble shoulders, and a diamond crown sparkled on
her forehead. But a sleep as of death held her in its spell, and no noise
seemed able to waken the sleeper.

Then the little man turned to the wondering youth and said: ‘See, here is
the sleeping child! She is a mighty Princess. This splendid castle and
this enchanted land are hers, but for hundreds of years she has slept this
magic sleep, and during all that time no human being has been able to find
their way here. I alone have kept guard over her, and have gone daily to
my own castle to get food and to beat the greedy gold-seekers who forced
their way into my dwelling. I have watched over the Princess carefully all
these years and saw that no stranger came near her, but all my magic power
lay in my beard, and now that you have taken it away I am helpless, and
can no longer hold the beautiful Princess in her enchanted sleep, but am
forced to reveal my treasured secret to you. So set to work and do as I
tell you. Take the bird which hangs over the Princess’s head, and which by
its song sang her into this enchanted sleep—a song which it has had
to continue ever since; take it and kill it, and cut its little heart out
and burn it to a powder, and then put it into the Princess’s mouth; then
she will instantly awaken, and will bestow on you her heart and hand, her
kingdom and castle, and all her treasures.

The little dwarf paused, quite worn out, and the youth did not wait long
to do his bidding. He did all he was told carefully and promptly, and
having cut the little bird’s heart out he proceeded to make it into a
powder. No sooner had he placed it in the Princess’s mouth than she opened
her lovely eyes, and, looking up into the happy youth’s face, she kissed
him tenderly, thanked him for freeing her from her magic sleep, and
promised to be his wife. At the same moment a sound as of thunder was
heard all over the castle, and on all the staircases and in every room
sounds were to be heard. Then a troop of servants, male and female,
flocked into the apartment where the happy couple sat, and after wishing
the Princess and her bridegroom joy, they dispersed all over the castle to
their different occupations.

But the little grey dwarf began now to demand his beard again from the
youth, for in his wicked heart he was determined to make an end of all
their happiness; he knew that if only his beard were once more on his
chin, he would be able to do what he liked with them all. But the clever
flute-player was quite a match for the little man in cunning, and said:
‘All right, you needn’t be afraid, you shall get your beard back before we
part; but you must allow my bride and me to accompany you a bit on your
homeward way.’

The dwarf could not refuse this request, and so they all went together
through the beautiful green paths and flowery meadows, and came at last to
the river which flowed for miles round the Princess’s land and formed the
boundary of her kingdom. There was no bridge or ferryboat to be seen
anywhere, and it was impossible to get over to the other side, for the
boldest swimmer would not have dared to brave the fierce current and
roaring waters. Then the youth said to the dwarf: ‘Give me your wand in
order that I may part the waves.’

And the dwarf was forced to do as he was told because the youth still kept
his beard from him; but the wicked little creature chuckled with joy and
thought to himself: ‘The foolish youth will hand me my beard as soon as we
have crossed the river, and then my power will return, and I will seize my
wand and prevent them both ever returning to their beautiful country.’

But the dwarf’s wicked intentions were doomed to disappointment. The happy
youth struck the water with his wand, and the waves at once parted and
stood still, and the dwarf went on in front and crossed the stream. No
sooner had he done so than the waters closed behind him, and the youth and
his lovely bride stood safe on the other side. Then they threw his beard
to the old man across the river, but they kept his wand, so that the
wicked dwarf could never again enter their kingdom. So the happy couple
returned to their castle, and lived there in peace and plenty for ever
after. But the other two musicians waited in vain for the return of their
companion; and when he never came they said: ‘Ah, he’s gone to play the
flute,’ till the saying passed into a proverb, and was always said of
anyone who set out to perform a task from which he never returned.

Grimm.