Ferdinand the Faithful

Once upon a time there lived a man and a woman. As long as they were rich, they had no children. But when they became poor, they had a little boy. They could not find a godfather for him, so the man said he would go to another place to see if he could get one.

As he walked, a poor man met him and asked where he was going. He said he was going to find a godfather, but he was poor, so no one would stand for him. "Oh," said the poor man, "you are poor, and I am poor.

I will be your godfather, but I am so poor I can give the child nothing. Go home and tell the nurse to come to the church with the child." When they all got to the church, the beggar was already there. He gave the child the name Ferdinand the Faithful.

As he was leaving the church, the beggar said, "Now go home. I can give you nothing, and you ought to give me nothing." But he gave a key to the nurse and told her to give it to the father.

The father was to keep it until the child was fourteen years old. Then the boy was to go to the heath where a castle stood that the key would open, and everything inside would belong to him.

When the child was seven years old and had grown big, he went to play with other boys. Each of them boasted about what they had gotten from their godfather. The child had nothing to say and was upset.

He went home and asked his father, "Did I get nothing from my godfather?" "Oh, yes," said his father, "you have a key. If there is a castle on the heath, go and open it." So the boy went there, but he could see no castle or hear of one.

After another seven years, when he was fourteen, he went again. This time the castle stood there. When he opened it, there was nothing inside but a white horse. The boy was so happy about the horse that he mounted it and galloped home to his father.

"Now I have a white horse, and I will travel," he said. So he set out. As he rode along, a pen lay in the road. At first he thought he would pick it up, then he thought, "Leave it.

You will easily find a pen where you are going." As he rode away, a voice called after him, "Ferdinand the Faithful, take it with you." He looked around but saw no one. He went back and picked up the pen. After riding a little farther, he passed a lake.

A fish lay on the bank, gasping for breath. He said, "Wait, dear fish, I will help you into the water." He took it by the tail and threw it into the lake. The fish put its head out and said, "Since you helped me from the mud, I will give you a flute.

When you need anything, play on it, and I will help you. If you ever drop something in the water, play and I will give it back." He rode on and met a man who asked where he was going. "To the nearest town." "What is your name?" "Ferdinand the Faithful." "So!

We have almost the same name. I am called Ferdinand the Unfaithful." They both went to an inn in the nearest town. Unfortunately, Ferdinand the Unfaithful knew everything the other thought and planned to do, through wicked arts.

At the inn there was an honest girl with a bright face who behaved prettily. She fell in love with Ferdinand the Faithful because he was handsome. She asked him where he was going. "Oh, I am just traveling around," he said.

She said he should stay there, because the king of that country needed an attendant or outrider. He should enter his service. He answered that he could not just go and offer himself. The maiden said, "Oh, I will do that for you soon." She went straight to the king and told him she knew an excellent servant.

The king was pleased and had Ferdinand the Faithful brought to him. He wanted to make him a servant, but Ferdinand preferred to be an outrider, because he wanted to be with his horse. So the king made him an outrider.

When Ferdinand the Unfaithful learned this, he said to the girl, "What! You help him and not me?" "Oh," she said, "I will help you too." She thought, "I must stay friends with that man, for he is not to be trusted." She went to the king and offered him as a servant, and the king agreed.

Now when the king met his lords in the morning, he always lamented, "Oh, if only I had my love with me." Ferdinand the Unfaithful was hostile to Ferdinand the Faithful. So once, when the king complained, he said, "You have the outrider. Send him to get her.

If he does not do it, his head must be cut off." So the king sent for Ferdinand the Faithful and told him that in a certain place there was a girl he loved, and he must bring her to him. If he did not, he would die.

Ferdinand the Faithful went to the stable to his white horse and complained, "Oh, what an unhappy man I am!" Then someone behind him cried, "Ferdinand the Faithful, why do you weep?" He looked around but saw no one.

He went on lamenting, "Oh, my dear white horse, now I must leave you; now I must die." Then someone cried again, "Ferdinand the Faithful, why do you weep?" Then he realized it was his white horse that spoke. "Do you speak, my little white horse?

Can you do that?" He said, "I am to go and bring the bride. Can you tell me how to do it?" The white horse answered, "Go to the king and say that if he gives you what you need, you will get her.

If he gives you a ship full of meat and a ship full of bread, it will succeed. Great giants live on the lake. If you take no meat for them, they will tear you to pieces.

And there are large birds that will pick out your eyes if you have no bread for them." Then the king had all butchers kill and all bakers bake so the ships were filled. When they were full, the white horse said, "Now mount me and come into the ship.

When the giants come, say: 'Peace, peace, my dear little giants, I have thought of you; something I have brought for you.' And when the birds come, say: 'Peace, peace, my dear little birds, I have thought of you; something I have brought for you.' Then they will do nothing to you.

When you reach the castle, the giants will help you. Go up to the castle and take a couple of giants with you. There the princess lies sleeping. Do not wake her. The giants must lift her up and carry her in her bed to the ship." Everything happened as the white horse had said.

Ferdinand gave the giants and birds what he had brought. The giants were willing and carried the princess in her bed to the king. When she came to the king, she said she could not live without her writings, which had been left in her castle.

By the instigation of Ferdinand the Unfaithful, Ferdinand the Faithful was called, and the king told him he must fetch the writings or die. He went into the stable, bemoaned himself, and said, "Oh, my dear white horse, now I must go again.

How shall I do it?" The white horse said to load the ships again. It happened again as before. The giants and birds were satisfied with the meat. When they came to the castle, the white horse told Ferdinand to go in. The writings lay on the table in the princess's bedroom.

Ferdinand went in and fetched them. When they were on the lake, he let his pen fall into the water. The white horse said, "Now I cannot help you at all." But Ferdinand remembered his flute and began to play.

The fish came with the pen in its mouth and gave it to him. So he brought the writings to the castle, where the wedding was celebrated. The queen did not love the king because he had no nose, but she would have liked to love Ferdinand the Faithful.

Once, when all the lords were together, the queen said she could do magic: she could cut off anyone's head and put it back on, and someone should try it. None would be first, so Ferdinand the Faithful, at the instigation of Ferdinand the Unfaithful, stepped forward.

She cut off his head and put it back on. It healed right away, so that it looked as if he had a red thread around his throat. Then the king said, "My child, where did you learn that?" "Yes," she said, "I know the art.

Shall I try it on you?" "Oh, yes," he said. But she cut off his head and did not put it back on, pretending she could not get it to stick. Then the king was buried, and she married Ferdinand the Faithful. He always rode his white horse.

Once, when he was seated on it, the horse told him to go to the heath he knew and gallop three times around it. When he had done that, the white horse stood on its hind legs and was changed into a king's son.