The Ball of Crystal
There was once upon a time an Enchantress who had three sons, who loved one another dearly, but yet their mother would not trust them, and was always suspecting that they would rob her of her power; so she changed the eldest into an Eagle, and condemned him to dwell on the tops of a rocky chain of mountains, where one might see him many times wheeling round and round in the air in great circles. The second brother she changed into a Whale, and he dwelt in the deep sea, where one might see him now and then throwing up a huge stream of water. These two could retake their human form for two hours a day. The third son, however, fearing that he might be changed into some wild beast, bear or lion, secretly took his departure, for he had heard that in the Castle of the Golden Sun sat an enchanted Princess awaiting a deliverer. Many a youth had felt bound to venture his life in her cause, but already had three-and-twenty met with horrible deaths, and only one remained to tell the dreadful tale. Our hero drove away all fear from his mind, and resolved to search out this wonderful castle. For a very long time he had wandered about, when one day he unexpectedly arrived in a large forest, from which he could not get out. He perceived, however, in the distance two Giants, who beckoned him with their hands. He went towards them, and they told him that they were fighting for the possession of a hat; but, as they were both equally strong, neither could gain the mastery, and they wished, therefore, to leave the decision to him, since men of his size were generally very wise and crafty.
“What can induce you to fight for an old hat?” asked the Youth.
“You do not know the wonderful properties which belong to it,” answered the Giants; “it is a wishing hat, and whoever wears it may go instantly whither he wishes.”
“Give me the hat,” said the Youth; “I will go a short way, then do you both run as if for a wager, and whoever comes up to me first shall have the hat.” With these words he put the hat on and walked off; but, beginning to think of the Princess, he forgot the Giants, and walked on and on. All at once he heaved a sigh from the bottom of his heart, and exclaimed, “Ah! that I were near the Castle of the Golden Sun.” Scarcely had the words passed his lips when he found himself standing on a high mountain before the very place. He entered the Castle by the door and passed through all the rooms till he came to the last, where he found the Princess. But how startled he was when he saw her. Her face was full of wrinkles, her eyes were sunk deep in her head, and her hair was red. “Are you the King’s Daughter of whose beauty all the world talks?” asked the Youth. “Alas!” she replied, “this is not my form; the eyes of mortal men can only see me in this hateful guise; but that you may know how beautiful is the reality, look in this mirror which cannot err, that will show you my face as it is in reality.” She gave him a mirror, and he beheld in it the portrait of the most beautiful Maiden the earth could contain, and over her cheeks he could even see the tears of sorrow rolling. “How can I save you?” he asked; “no danger will appal me.” The Princess replied, “He who can obtain possession of the Crystal Ball, and hold it before the Enchanter, will thereby break his power, and I shall return to my original shape. But, alas! already many a one has met death for me, and I shall grieve for your youthful blood if you dare these great perils.”
“Nothing can keep me from the attempt,” said the Youth; “but what must I do?”
“You shall know all,” said the Princess: “if you descend the mountain on which this castle stands you will find a wild Ox, with which you must fight, and if you are lucky enough to kill it, a Fiery Bird will rise from its carcase, in whose body is a red hot egg, the yolk of which forms the Crystal Ball. This Bird will not drop the egg till it is compelled; but if it falls to the ground it will burn and consume whatever is near it, and then the iron will melt, and with it the Crystal Ball, and all your trouble will be futile.”
The Youth, thereupon, descended to the bottom of the mountain, where he saw the Ox, who commenced as soon as he appeared to bellow and run at him. After a long fight the Youth plunged his sword into its body, so that it fell dead to the ground. At the same instant the Fiery Bird rose from the carcase and was about to fly away, when the Eagle, the brother of the Youth, who was just then passing over the spot, swooped down and struck the Bird towards the sea, so that in its endeavours to escape it let fall the egg. The egg, however, did not fall into the sea, but on the roof of a fisherman’s hut which stood on the shore. The roof began to burn, for the egg instantly blazed up; but at the moment, immense waves dashed out of the sea, and rolling quite over the hut extinguished the fire. It was the other brother, the Whale, who had caused this, having luckily swum there at the right time. As soon as the fire was out, the Youth searched for the egg, and found it very quickly; it was not quite molten, but the shell was so cracked by the sudden cooling of the cold sea water that he managed easily to extract the Crystal Ball.
The Youth took it at once to show to the Enchanter, who, as soon as he saw it, said, “My power is destroyed, and you are henceforth King of the Castle of the Golden Sun. Your brothers, also, can now return to their human forms.
The Youth then hastened to the Princess, and as soon as he entered the room her former beauty returned in all its glory, and they both exchanged rings with great joy, which means to say, I suppose, that they married and were very happy.