In a distant land lived two brothers, William and Eric, who had inherited a duchy from their father. They had a very pretty and in some respects, an exceptional sister named Ingeborg. The trusted advisor of the dukes, to whom the duchy’s management was entrusted, was named Perus. He had asked for the hand of Ingeborg, but the dukes had refused him because his rank and wealth was not equal to theirs.
On the other hand, he exceeded most people in spiritual talent, while the two brothers were not particularly wise. Ingeborg had a freestanding house in which she and her handmaidens went to drink. Perus had made it a rule not to do business from the time he sat down to his evening meal until the time he finished his evening drink.
In addition, two brothers who lived at the dukes’ courts were jealous of Master Perus because of his high esteem and so happily found an excuse to remove him. One day as the rest of the people were gathered for the evening drink, the brothers were wandering outside and came near the fence around Ingeborg’s house.
They heard a great cheerfulness and became curious for the cause of the event. They climbed over the fence and looked in at the window. They noticed that Perus sat next to the maiden and that they embraced and kissed. They were very pleased by this discovery, as they now had enough cause to charge the master. They quickly returned to the castle.
To their astonishment, they saw Perus sitting at his usual place and beside him the two lads who served him daily. The brothers could not explain this puzzle and so decided not to risk presenting their accusations. Instead, they decided to find the cause of the matter. On a second evening, they again heard the same celebration in Ingeborg’s house, and saw Perus again sitting by the duchess. But as they returned to the hall, he was sitting in his chair and let no goblet that was passed to him go by.
Since the brothers agreed that he could not be at two places at the same time, they gathered the courage to approach him and talk to him. When they received no reply, they tried to touch him with their hands, but instead gripped empty air. They now saw that they and all who were present were fooled by an illusion.
The dukes were told of the matter, and they called their people together. They hurried to Ingeborg’s house, broke down the door and forced their way inside. Perus lay by the maiden in bed; both were made aware of the danger when the door was broken down with noise and cries. The princess said now death was certain for him. However, Perus calmed her and insisted that he would meet with no harm. He jumped up, threw a blue robe around his waist and sat down in the maiden’s high seat.
As the dukes entered, they went directly to their sister’s bed. Perus was no longer there, but they saw him sitting calmly in the high seat. William said, “Let me avenge the shame that he has done us, because I’m the older.” Angrily, he grabbed Perus and threw him to the floor. He then stepped on one of his feet, then grasped the other with both hands and, with a powerful jerk, tore the body apart so that organs and blood poured out and soiled the floor.
To spite the maiden, the dukes forbid the cleaning of the room, and then left. When the duchess saw her lover so horribly disfigured, she fainted. But as she recovered she saw Perus whole and uninjured standing before her. Not knowing how to explain this, she thought that his ghost was present. But he then said that she should forget the fear, and that he was fresh and healthy. Instead of him, her brother William had torn apart a forked piece of wood that lay on the floor. In fact, she now saw neither blood nor any other matter on the floor.
She then asked him to flee, but he replied that he would dress and go to the main hall. When the dukes saw him enter they could not comprehend with what trick they had been deceived. They commanded that Perus be taken and placed in irons and then summoned a large gathering and had Perus taken to a forest where he would be executed.
He stood bound before the dukes, then he spoke: “I was bound, but now I will be free! You brothers are very foolish; I asked for your sister’s hand, but you would not let me have her because you thought that I am far beneath you. But although I have less money, I am wiser than you and when we had become in-laws you would have had the advantage of my wisdom forever; we never would have been separated. But now, all of your efforts will have an inglorious and unhappy end.”
He then drew from his belt pouch a blue ball of thread, threw it into the air and climbed up the thread. So vanished Perus from their view, and they never saw him again.
Not far away there lived a respected man named Prince. He possessed great wealth, and more than others possessed costly clothes and food, horses and house wares. One day he left his palace with twelve servants and rode on a handsome, well-trained horse through the woods. Even his manservants were all well equipped.
In the forest, they met a stately man who sat such a handsome horse as they had never before seen. The man’s clothes brought them the highest wonder. They greeted each othe rand the Prince said, “Hear, good friend, sell me your splendid horse along with the equipment as well as your weapon and clothes, as it all is worthy of a distinguished man. I will give you for it my horse, clothes and enough gold to satisfy you.”
The stranger replied, “I have no desire for your horse or your things; each should keep his own.” Prince said, “If you will not give it to me willingly, you will be forced to part with it.”
“Through your greed, you will take what is mine and will not be satisfied,” the stranger said. “But willingly I will not give it up, although I agree that I am not the man to win over you thirteen.”
Princes’ servants then dismounted, undressed the stranger and gave him in exchange that which their master had worn. He did not resist, and each rode away on the horse of the other.
One of Prince’s servants who was smarter than the others was taken with distrust even though the exchange had been made correctly. So he drew out a magic stone with the property that no one who looked at it could then be blinded by tricks of sight. He looked at the stone and saw then that what his master and the other servants saw as a majestic, well-trained horse was nothing more than a giant bundle tied up with roots and rags.
He then let two of his comrades and finally also their master look into the stone, the last of whom became very angry and ordered his servants to follow the evil magician. They soon caught up with him. He was bound and led before Prince, who accused him of tricking him out of his property. Perus—who was the stranger—that he had not caused the exchange and that Prince had let his greed blind him and so must bear the results of his foolishness.
Prince paid no attention to Perus’ words; instead, he led the bound Perus with him with the intent of having him killed. He called a large gathering on a pier by the sea where the judgment was to be spoken. The people enclosed the place on the landside completely so that the accused could not escape; they all felt that he would be killed for his magic.
When it was time, Perus said, “Bound I was; now I will be free. However, I will not jump into the sea to kill myself.” He took a piece of chalk from his purse and drew a ship will all the rigging on the pier. As all who stood around suspected nothing bad, they suddenly heard a noise in the water and saw Perus on a ship with the sails unfurled. He sailed away on the sea, and in this way escaped his enemies.
In the harbor where Perus landed, a duke was berthed with his warship although he had not land holding of his own. He was a righteous man who pursued pirates but left honest people in peace. As a result, he was very much liked so that even kings strove to fulfill his wishes.
When Perus came to see the duke, his cook was busy preparing the meal, cutting up a rooster for the duke’s table. Perus greeted the duke honorably, saying, “It is said of you that you are a combative and righteous man. Why will you not become a king, or have you not the means to obtain a kingdom?” The duke replied that doing so was not in his nature.
“Do you want to become a king if the possibility presented itself?” asked Perus.
“Certainly would I want that,” answered the duke.
“Would you then richly reward one who helped you do it?” asked Perus further.
“Of course he would be rewarded,” said the duke.
“Would you give him ten gold marks each year as long as you rule?” asked Perus.
Actually, I would happily give two hundred marks!” replied the duke.
“I require no more than ten marks,” said Perus.
“I would give that much gladly,” said the duke. Perus then took leave of the duke.
Not far away there was a king’s residence. He was married and had a 13-year-old son. It then happened that this king died suddenly and the subjects of the kingdom wanted to elect a new king. To the gathering assembled to this end the widow queen appeared with her son. Everyone appeared to agree that the son should receive the kingdom of the father.
Then, Perus appeared and said, “It is certainly true that the son is entitled to inherit from the father. However, this boy is too young to reign and defend the kingdom should Vikings attempt to attack. Have you not heard the latest news?” They answered that they had heard nothing new. “I have been told,” said Perus, “that a group of warships has landed and all harbors are filled. Therefore, you must elect a strong duke that can defend against the threatening disaster. Otherwise, the queen will be captured and your property robbed.”
The people became fearful and asked Perus if he knew of a suitable ruler for their land. He replied that no one had the luck of battle, the wisdom and was as cautious and was more suitable than that duke was. The people as well as the queen voted for him.
Perus returned to the duke and informed him that he could offer the chance to become king if the duke would give him ten gold marks each year. The duke agreed to these conditions, paying Perus the first payment immediately. The duke then ascended to the king’s residence. He ascended to the throne and took the widow of his predecessor as wife. The enemy force that had threatened the land disappeared so quickly that no one knew what happened to it.
After a year had passed, Perus appeared before the king and greeted him. The king received him in a friendly way. “I have come to receive my payment,” said Perus. “Oh, yes,” replied the king, “it is ready.” He then arranged for the payment of the ten marks. After a second year had passed, Perus came again and demanded his money. In the king’s hall, there was a great tumult because this man repeatedly took money from the king. There had to be some evil behind it.
When the king heard this commotion, the king required that Perus no longer demand payment from him, but this time still paid the ten marks. Perus replied that, as before, he would continue to expect payment of what he had coming. He took the payment and left.
After another twelve months had passed, Perus appeared again and demanded his payment. The court members raised such a loud cry: their king has acquired the duty to pay tribute to that man, they said, and that is a very bad story. The king heard this, and spoke angrily to Perus: “You are a very brash fellow that you dare once more to request money from me and misuse my good nature. Give up your intrusiveness if you do not want to find yourself inconvenienced.”
“There is little chance here,” replied Perus, “that I will let myself be put off from demanding my payment by your threats.”
“Then I will have you taken prisoner,” said the king, “and possibly even have you killed.”
“Do you remember,” asked Perus, “where we met the first time?”
“Of course,” answered the king.
“Then, you were a duke,” said Perus, “and people said of you that you were a righteous man and not greedy. Now, however, you have become powerful. You have craved money and become unjust. Now that I have discovered what you have become, I believe — the rooster is thoroughly cooked.”
The duke then found himself back on his ship, and no more time had passed than was needed to cook the rooster. The election to king, the marriage and the many years of power were nothing more than deception and illusion that Perus had used to test him.