Old Rinkrank

There was once a King who had a Daughter; and he had a glass mountain built, and said that whoever could run over it without tumbling should have this Daughter for his wife. Then there was one who was so fond of the King’s Daughter that he asked the King whether he might not marry her. “Yes,” said the King, “if you can run over the mountain without tumbling, then you shall have her.” The King’s Daughter said she would run over with him, so that she might hold him up if he were going to fall; so they ran over together, but when they got up to the middle the King’s Daughter slipped and fell, and the glass mountain opened itself, and she tumbled right into it. Her Sweetheart couldn’t see a bit where she had gone through, for the mountain had closed again directly. Then he fretted and cried so much, and the King too was so wretched, that he had the mountain broken down again, thinking he would get his daughter out again; but they could never find the place where she had tumbled through. In the mean time the King’s Daughter had got quite deep into the ground, in a great cave. There, there came to her an old fellow with a tremendous long grey beard, and he told her that if she would be his servant and do all he bade her, she should remain alive; if not, he would make away with her. So she did all he told her. In the morning he took his ladder out of his pocket and placed it against the mountain, and climbed up out of it. Then he pulled the ladder up after him. She had then to cook his dinner, to make his bed, and to do all his work; and when he came home again he always brought great heaps of gold and silver with him.

Now, when she had been many years with him, and had already grown quite old, he called her Mother Mansrot, and she had to call him Old Rinkrank. One day, when he was out again, she made his bed, and washed his dishes, and then she shut up all the doors and windows quite close; but there was a little loophole, through which the light shone into the house, and that she left open. When Old Rinkrank came home again he knocked at his door, and called out, “Open the door for me.” “Nay, Old Rinkrank,” said she; “I sha’n’t open the door.” Then he said:—

“Here stand I, poor Rinkrank,

Upon my seventeen long shanks;

Mother Mansrot, wash my dishes!”

“I have already washed your dishes,” said she. Then he said again:—

“Here stand I, poor Rinkrank,

Upon my seventeen long shanks;

Mother Mansrot, make my bed!”

“I have already made your bed,” said she. Then he said again:—

“Here stand I, poor Rinkrank,

Upon my seventeen longshanks;

Mother Mansrot, open the door!”

Then he ran all round about the house, and saw that the little loophole was open, so he thought, “I will just look in there, to see what she is about that she won’t open the door for me.” So he went and tried to look in, but he couldn’t get his head through on account of his long beard, so he poked his beard through the loophole first, and when he had got it quite through Mother Mansrot ran up, and fastened the trap-door with a band which she had tied to it, and so the beard was fastened in quite tight. Then he began to scream most miserably, it hurt him so; and he begged and prayed she would let him loose; but she said not before he gave her the ladder on which he climbed out of the mountain. Then, whether he willed or not, he was obliged to say where the ladder was. So she tied a very long band to the trap-door, and placed the ladder against the mountain, and climbed up out of it; and when she was up at the top she pulled the trap-door open. She went then to her father and told all about what happened to her. The King was greatly rejoiced; and her Sweetheart was there still; so they went and dug up the mountain, and found Old Rinkrank with all his gold and silver. Then the King had Old Rinkrank killed, and took home all his silver and gold. And the King’s Daughter married her old Sweetheart, and they lived right merrily in splendour and happiness.