Gambling Hansel

Once upon a time there was a man who did nothing but gamble, and for that reason people never called him anything but Gambling Hansel. He gambled away his house and everything he owned. The very day before his creditors were going to take his house, the Lord and Saint Peter came and asked him for shelter for the night.

Gambling Hansel said, "You can stay the night, but I can't give you a bed or anything to eat." The Lord said that was fine, and they would buy their own food. Hansel agreed. Saint Peter gave him three groschen and told him to go buy bread.

Hansel went, but when he reached the house where the other gambling vagabonds were gathered, they greeted him loudly and said, "Hansel, come in!" "Oh," he said, "do you want to win these three groschen too?" They wouldn't let him go, so he went in and gambled away the three groschen.

Meanwhile, Saint Peter and the Lord waited. When Hansel was gone so long, they went to meet him. Hansel pretended the money had fallen into the gutter and kept raking in it, but the Lord already knew he had lost it gambling.

Saint Peter gave him another three groschen, and this time Hansel did not let himself be tempted again but brought the loaf. The Lord asked if he had any wine. "Alas, sir, the casks are all empty!" But the Lord told him to go down to the cellar, for the best wine was still there.

Hansel didn't believe it, but he went, and when he turned the tap, the finest wine ran out! So he brought it to them, and they spent the night. Early the next day, the Lord told Gambling Hansel he could ask for three wishes.

The Lord expected him to ask to go to Heaven, but Hansel asked for a pack of cards with which he could win everything, for dice with which he would win everything, and for a tree where every kind of fruit would grow and from which no one who climbed up could come down unless Hansel commanded it.

The Lord gave him all that he asked for and departed with Saint Peter.

Now Gambling Hansel began gambling in earnest, and before long he had won half the world. Saint Peter said to the Lord, "Lord, this cannot go on. He will win the whole world. We must send Death to him." When Death appeared, Hansel was just sitting down at the gaming table.

Death said, "Hansel, come out a while." But Hansel said, "Just wait until the game is done. Meanwhile, climb up that tree and gather some fruit so we have something to eat on the way." Death climbed up, but when he wanted to come down, he couldn't.

Hansel left him up there for seven years, during which no one died.

Saint Peter said, "Lord, this cannot go on. No one dies anymore; we must go ourselves." So they went, and the Lord commanded Hansel to let Death come down. Hansel went to Death and said, "Come down." Death took him and put an end to him.

They went together to the next world, and Gambling Hansel went straight to the door of Heaven and knocked. "Who's there?" "Gambling Hansel." "Ah, we want nothing to do with him! Begone!" So he went to the door of Purgatory and knocked.

"Who's there?" "Gambling Hansel." "Ah, there is enough weeping and wailing here without him. We don't want to gamble. Just go away." Then he went to the door of Hell, and they let him in.

Nobody was home but old Lucifer and the crooked devils who had just been doing their evil work in the world. No sooner was Hansel inside than he sat down to gamble again. Lucifer had nothing to lose but his misshapen devils, and Hansel won them from him with his cards.

Then he left with his crooked devils, and they went to Hohenfuert, pulled up a hop-pole, and with it went to Heaven and began to thrust the pole against it. Heaven began to crack. Saint Peter said, "Lord, this cannot go on.

We must let him in, or he will throw us down from Heaven." So they let him in. But Gambling Hansel immediately started gambling again, and there was such noise and confusion that no one could hear themselves speak. Saint Peter said, "Lord, this cannot go on.

We must throw him down, or he will make all Heaven rebellious." So they went to him, threw him down, and his soul broke into fragments and went into the gambling vagabonds who are still alive today.