merve/folk-mythology-tales · Datasets at Hugging Face

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time his story was done he had turned to stone from head to foot.

Oh! how grieved the prince was to lose his faithful servant! And what
pained him most was the thought that he was lost through his very
faithfulness, and he determined to travel all over the world and never
rest till he found some means of restoring him to life.

Now there lived at Court an old woman who had been the prince's nurse.
To her he confided all his plans, and left his wife, the princess, in
her care. 'You have a long way before you, my son,' said the old woman;
'you must never return till you have met with Lucky Luck. If he cannot
help you no one on earth can.'

So the prince set off to try to find Lucky Luck. He walked and walked
till he got beyond his own country, and he wandered through a wood for
three days but did not meet a living being in it. At the end of the
third day he came to a river near which stood a large mill. Here he
spent the night. When he was leaving next morning the miller asked him:
'My gracious lord, where are you going all alone?'

And the prince told him.

'Then I beg your Highness to ask Lucky Luck this question: Why is it
that though I have an excellent mill, with all its machinery complete,
and get plenty of grain to grind, I am so poor that I hardly know how to
live from one day to another?'

The prince promised to inquire, and went on his way. He wandered about
for three days more, and at the end of the third day saw a little town.
It was quite late when he reached it, but he could discover no light
anywhere, and walked almost right through it without finding a house
where he could turn in. But far away at the end of the town he saw a
light in a window. He went straight to it and in the house were three
girls playing a game together. The prince asked for a night's lodging
and they took him in, gave him some supper and got a room ready for him,
where he slept.

Next morning when he was leaving they asked where he was going and he
told them his story. 'Gracious prince,' said the maidens, 'do ask Lucky
Luck how it happens that here we are over thirty years old and no lover
has come to woo us, though we are good, pretty, and very industrious.'

The prince promised to inquire, and went on his way.

Then he came to a great forest and wandered about in it from morning to
night and from night to morning before he got near the other end. Here
he found a pretty stream which was different from other streams as,
instead of flowing, it stood still and began to talk: 'Sir prince, tell
me what brings you into these wilds? I must have been flowing here a
hundred years and more and no one has ever yet come by.'

'I will tell you,' answered the prince, 'if you will divide yourself so
that I may walk through.'

The stream parted at once, and the prince walked through without wetting
his feet; and directly he got to the other side he told his story as he
had promised.

'Oh, do ask Lucky Luck,' cried the brook, 'why, though I am such a
clear, bright, rapid stream I never have a fish or any other living
creature in my waters.'

The prince said he would do so, and continued his journey.

When he got quite clear of the forest he walked on through a lovely
valley till he reached a little house thatched with rushes, and he went
in to rest for he was very tired.

Everything in the house was beautifully clean and tidy, and a cheerful
honest-looking old woman was sitting by the fire.

'Good-morning, mother,' said the prince.

'May Luck be with you, my son. What brings you into these parts?'

'I am looking for Lucky Luck,' replied the prince.

'Then you have come to the right place, my son, for I am his mother. He
is not at home just now, he is out digging in the vineyard. Do you go
too. Here are two spades. When you find him begin to dig, but don't
speak a word to him. It is now eleven o'clock. When he sits down to
eat his dinner sit beside him and eat with him. After dinner he will
question you, and then tell him all your troubles freely. He will answer
whatever you may ask.'

With that she showed him the way, and the prince went and did just as
she had told him. After dinner they lay down to rest.

All of a sudden Lucky Luck began to speak and said: 'Tell me, what sort
of man are you, for since you came here you have not spoken a word?'

'I am not dumb,' replied the young man, 'but I am that unhappy prince
whose faithful servant has been turned to stone, and I want to know how
to help him.'

'And you do well, for he deserves everything. Go back, and when you
get home your wife will just have had a little boy. Take three drops of
blood from the child's little finger, rub them on your servant's wrists
with a blade of grass and he will return to life.'

time his story was done he had turned to stone from head to foot.

Oh! how grieved the prince was to lose his faithful servant! And what

pained him most was the thought that he was lost through his very

faithfulness, and he determined to travel all over the world and never

rest till he found some means of restoring him to life.

Now there lived at Court an old woman who had been the prince's nurse.

To her he confided all his plans, and left his wife, the princess, in

her care. 'You have a long way before you, my son,' said the old woman;

'you must never return till you have met with Lucky Luck. If he cannot

help you no one on earth can.'

So the prince set off to try to find Lucky Luck. He walked and walked

till he got beyond his own country, and he wandered through a wood for

three days but did not meet a living being in it. At the end of the

third day he came to a river near which stood a large mill. Here he

spent the night. When he was leaving next morning the miller asked him:

'My gracious lord, where are you going all alone?'

And the prince told him.

'Then I beg your Highness to ask Lucky Luck this question: Why is it

that though I have an excellent mill, with all its machinery complete,

and get plenty of grain to grind, I am so poor that I hardly know how to

live from one day to another?'

The prince promised to inquire, and went on his way. He wandered about

for three days more, and at the end of the third day saw a little town.

It was quite late when he reached it, but he could discover no light

anywhere, and walked almost right through it without finding a house

where he could turn in. But far away at the end of the town he saw a

light in a window. He went straight to it and in the house were three

girls playing a game together. The prince asked for a night's lodging

and they took him in, gave him some supper and got a room ready for him,

where he slept.

Next morning when he was leaving they asked where he was going and he

told them his story. 'Gracious prince,' said the maidens, 'do ask Lucky

Luck how it happens that here we are over thirty years old and no lover

has come to woo us, though we are good, pretty, and very industrious.'

The prince promised to inquire, and went on his way.

Then he came to a great forest and wandered about in it from morning to

night and from night to morning before he got near the other end. Here

he found a pretty stream which was different from other streams as,

instead of flowing, it stood still and began to talk: 'Sir prince, tell

me what brings you into these wilds? I must have been flowing here a

hundred years and more and no one has ever yet come by.'

'I will tell you,' answered the prince, 'if you will divide yourself so

that I may walk through.'

The stream parted at once, and the prince walked through without wetting

his feet; and directly he got to the other side he told his story as he

had promised.

'Oh, do ask Lucky Luck,' cried the brook, 'why, though I am such a

clear, bright, rapid stream I never have a fish or any other living

creature in my waters.'

The prince said he would do so, and continued his journey.

When he got quite clear of the forest he walked on through a lovely

valley till he reached a little house thatched with rushes, and he went

in to rest for he was very tired.

Everything in the house was beautifully clean and tidy, and a cheerful

honest-looking old woman was sitting by the fire.

'Good-morning, mother,' said the prince.

'May Luck be with you, my son. What brings you into these parts?'

'I am looking for Lucky Luck,' replied the prince.

'Then you have come to the right place, my son, for I am his mother. He

is not at home just now, he is out digging in the vineyard. Do you go

too. Here are two spades. When you find him begin to dig, but don't

speak a word to him. It is now eleven o'clock. When he sits down to

eat his dinner sit beside him and eat with him. After dinner he will

question you, and then tell him all your troubles freely. He will answer

whatever you may ask.'

With that she showed him the way, and the prince went and did just as

she had told him. After dinner they lay down to rest.

All of a sudden Lucky Luck began to speak and said: 'Tell me, what sort

of man are you, for since you came here you have not spoken a word?'

'I am not dumb,' replied the young man, 'but I am that unhappy prince

whose faithful servant has been turned to stone, and I want to know how

to help him.'

'And you do well, for he deserves everything. Go back, and when you

get home your wife will just have had a little boy. Take three drops of

blood from the child's little finger, rub them on your servant's wrists

with a blade of grass and he will return to life.'