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

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to everyone's surprise, they found the golden ring and the half of the
handkerchief. When these were brought to the king he sent for the prince
at once and asked if it had been he who had come to their rescue.

'Yes, your Majesty, it was I,' answered the prince.

'But where did you get your army?'

'If you wish to see it, I can show it you outside the city walls.'

And so he did; but first he asked for the copper apple from the younger
princess, and when all the soldiers were drawn up there were such
numbers that there was barely room for them.

The king gave him his daughter and kingdom as a reward for his aid, and
when he heard that the prince was himself a king's son his joy knew no
bounds. The prince packed all his soldiers carefully up once more, and
they went back into the town.

Not long after there was a grand wedding; perhaps they may all be alive
still, but I don't know.




To Your Good Health!

Long, long ago there lived a king who was such a mighty monarch that
whenever he sneezed every one in the whole country had to say 'To your
good health!' Every one said it except the shepherd with the staring
eyes, and he would not say it.

The king heard of this and was very angry, and sent for the shepherd to
appear before him.

The shepherd came and stood before the throne, where the king sat
looking very grand and powerful. But however grand or powerful he might
be the shepherd did not feel a bit afraid of him.

'Say at once, "To my good health!"' cried the king.

'To my good health!' replied the shepherd.

'To mine--to mine, you rascal, you vagabond!' stormed the king.

'To mine, to mine, your Majesty,' was the answer.

'But to mine--to my own,' roared the king, and beat on his breast in a
rage.

'Well, yes; to mine, of course, to my own,' cried the shepherd, and
gently tapped his breast.

The king was beside himself with fury and did not know what to do, when
the Lord Chamberlain interfered:

'Say at once--say this very moment: "To your health, your Majesty"; for
if you don't say it you'll lose your life, whispered he.

'No, I won't say it till I get the princess for my wife,' was the
shepherd's answer. Now the princess was sitting on a little throne
beside the king, her father, and she looked as sweet and lovely as a
little golden dove. When she heard what the shepherd said she could not
help laughing, for there is no denying the fact that this young shepherd
with the staring eyes pleased her very much; indeed he pleased her
better than any king's son she had yet seen.

But the king was not as pleasant as his daughter, and he gave orders to
throw the shepherd into the white bear's pit.

The guards led him away and thrust him into the pit with the white bear,
who had had nothing to eat for two days and was very hungry. The door of
the pit was hardly closed when the bear rushed at the shepherd; but when
it saw his eyes it was so frightened that it was ready to eat itself. It
shrank away into a corner and gazed at him from there, and, in spite of
being so famished, did not dare to touch him, but sucked its own paws
from sheer hunger. The shepherd felt that if he once removed his eyes
off the beast he was a dead man, and in order to keep himself awake he
made songs and sang them, and so the night went by.

Next morning the Lord Chamberlain came to see the shepherd's bones, and
was amazed to find him alive and well. He led him to the king, who fell
into a furious passion, and said: 'Well, you have learned what it is to
be very near death, and now will you say "To my good health"?'

But the shepherd answered: 'I am not afraid of ten deaths! I will only
say it if I may have the princess for my wife.'

'Then go to your death,' cried the king; and ordered him to be thrown
into the den with the wild boars. The wild boars had not been fed for a
week, and when the shepherd was thrust into their don they rushed at him
to tear him to pieces. But the shepherd took a little flute out of the
sleeve of his jacket and began to play a merry tune, on which the wild
boars first of all shrank shyly away, and then got up on their hind legs
and danced gaily. The shepherd would have given anything to be able to
laugh, they looked so funny; but he dared not stop playing, for he knew
well enough that the moment he stopped they would fall upon him and tear
him to pieces. His eyes were of no use to him here, for he could not
have stared ten wild boars in the face at once; so he kept on playing,
and the wild boars danced very slowly, as if in a minuet, then by

to everyone's surprise, they found the golden ring and the half of the

handkerchief. When these were brought to the king he sent for the prince

at once and asked if it had been he who had come to their rescue.

'Yes, your Majesty, it was I,' answered the prince.

'But where did you get your army?'

'If you wish to see it, I can show it you outside the city walls.'

And so he did; but first he asked for the copper apple from the younger

princess, and when all the soldiers were drawn up there were such

numbers that there was barely room for them.

The king gave him his daughter and kingdom as a reward for his aid, and

when he heard that the prince was himself a king's son his joy knew no

bounds. The prince packed all his soldiers carefully up once more, and

they went back into the town.

Not long after there was a grand wedding; perhaps they may all be alive

still, but I don't know.

To Your Good Health!

Long, long ago there lived a king who was such a mighty monarch that

whenever he sneezed every one in the whole country had to say 'To your

good health!' Every one said it except the shepherd with the staring

eyes, and he would not say it.

The king heard of this and was very angry, and sent for the shepherd to

appear before him.

The shepherd came and stood before the throne, where the king sat

looking very grand and powerful. But however grand or powerful he might

be the shepherd did not feel a bit afraid of him.

'Say at once, "To my good health!"' cried the king.

'To my good health!' replied the shepherd.

'To mine--to mine, you rascal, you vagabond!' stormed the king.

'To mine, to mine, your Majesty,' was the answer.

'But to mine--to my own,' roared the king, and beat on his breast in a

rage.

'Well, yes; to mine, of course, to my own,' cried the shepherd, and

gently tapped his breast.

The king was beside himself with fury and did not know what to do, when

the Lord Chamberlain interfered:

'Say at once--say this very moment: "To your health, your Majesty"; for

if you don't say it you'll lose your life, whispered he.

'No, I won't say it till I get the princess for my wife,' was the

shepherd's answer. Now the princess was sitting on a little throne

beside the king, her father, and she looked as sweet and lovely as a

little golden dove. When she heard what the shepherd said she could not

help laughing, for there is no denying the fact that this young shepherd

with the staring eyes pleased her very much; indeed he pleased her

better than any king's son she had yet seen.

But the king was not as pleasant as his daughter, and he gave orders to

throw the shepherd into the white bear's pit.

The guards led him away and thrust him into the pit with the white bear,

who had had nothing to eat for two days and was very hungry. The door of

the pit was hardly closed when the bear rushed at the shepherd; but when

it saw his eyes it was so frightened that it was ready to eat itself. It

shrank away into a corner and gazed at him from there, and, in spite of

being so famished, did not dare to touch him, but sucked its own paws

from sheer hunger. The shepherd felt that if he once removed his eyes

off the beast he was a dead man, and in order to keep himself awake he

made songs and sang them, and so the night went by.

Next morning the Lord Chamberlain came to see the shepherd's bones, and

was amazed to find him alive and well. He led him to the king, who fell

into a furious passion, and said: 'Well, you have learned what it is to

be very near death, and now will you say "To my good health"?'

But the shepherd answered: 'I am not afraid of ten deaths! I will only

say it if I may have the princess for my wife.'

'Then go to your death,' cried the king; and ordered him to be thrown

into the den with the wild boars. The wild boars had not been fed for a

week, and when the shepherd was thrust into their don they rushed at him

to tear him to pieces. But the shepherd took a little flute out of the

sleeve of his jacket and began to play a merry tune, on which the wild

boars first of all shrank shyly away, and then got up on their hind legs

and danced gaily. The shepherd would have given anything to be able to

laugh, they looked so funny; but he dared not stop playing, for he knew

well enough that the moment he stopped they would fall upon him and tear

him to pieces. His eyes were of no use to him here, for he could not

have stared ten wild boars in the face at once; so he kept on playing,

and the wild boars danced very slowly, as if in a minuet, then by