Kiss Miklos and the Green Daughter of the Green King

There was once a poor man who had three sons. When he lay on his deathbed, he called them to him and said, "My dear sons, perhaps you already know why our kingdom is in mourning, wrapped in a darkness so thick you could stand a spoon in it. But if you do not, I will tell you. This unbroken darkness has come because the sun and the moon have been stolen from the bright heavens. A wizard has foretold that among my three sons there is one—which one I cannot say with certainty—who will bring back the sun and the moon. Therefore, my sons, I leave you this charge: after my death, you must go out and seek the sun and the moon, and do not return until you have brought back those sources of light."

With those words, the poor man turned to the wall and passed from this world of shadows. He was buried with honor.

Now, my lord's son, what came of this affair? I saw it all as clearly as I see now, for I was present where they were talking. The news of the poor man's dying wish spread through the whole kingdom, and even the king heard of it. He immediately summoned the three brothers to his presence. When they stood before him, he said, "My dear young men, I hear that your father—may God give him rest—left you this charge: after his death, you are to go out into the wide world to look for the sun and the moon. Therefore, my sons, this is my word to you: whoever brings back the sun and the moon will be king after my death, and whoever assists him in everything will be made viceroy. Now go to my stable and my armory, and choose horses and swords for yourselves. I will give you a sealed letter ordering that wherever you go, men shall provide you with hay, oats, food, and drink free of cost."

So the three young men entered the king's stable. The two elder chose the most beautiful golden-haired steeds. But the youngest, looking around, found a wretched, shaggy-haired, plucked colt hidden in a corner among cobwebs and dirt. The elder brothers laughed at him for intending to ride such a ragged, nasty colt that could barely stand on its feet. But the youngest brother thought nothing of it and paid no attention to their mocking.

Next they went to the king's armory. The elder brothers chose two beautiful gold-mounted swords, but the youngest, who had more wit, picked out a rusty steel sword. This sword kept jumping out of its sheath and springing back in, playing unceasingly. The elder brothers laughed again, but the youngest put their ridicule quietly in his pocket, thinking that he who laughs last laughs best. For that nasty colt—as surely as I live and as you live, I was present where they were talking, I saw it with my own eyes—was actually a magic six-legged steed, conceived of the Wind and eating live coals. And the rusty sword had a special virtue: a man had only to say, "Cut, my dear sword," and it would cut down whatever he wished. But the two elder brothers knew nothing of all this, for they did not understand woodwork.

Now the three brothers set out on their way through the kingdom to look for the sun and the moon. They traveled and journeyed over forty-nine kingdoms, beyond the Operentsia Sea, beyond the glass mountains, and farther still, to where the little short-tailed pig roots, and beyond that, until they came to the silver bridge. When they reached the silver bridge, the youngest brother said to the others, "My dear brothers, let us hide under the bridge, for soon the steed of the moon will be here, carrying the twelve-headed dragon, from whose saddle-bow the bright moon is dangling."

The two brothers had barely hidden when the steed of the moon came onto the bridge, bearing the twelve-headed dragon with the bright moon hanging from its saddle-bow. The milk-white steed of the moon stumbled on the bridge. The twelve-headed dragon became enraged and said to the steed, "Ah, may the crow eat your eye, may the dog eat your flesh, may the earth drink your blood! From forest to forest I have ridden you, from mountain to mountain I have sprung with you, and you have never stumbled. But now on the even road you have stumbled. Well, in my world-beautiful life I have always heard the fame of Kiss Miklos. If he were here now, I would like to have a struggle with him."

At that word, our Kiss Miklos—for that was the name of the youngest brother—sprang out from beneath the bridge onto the silver bridge on his golden-haired magic steed, and closed with the twelve-headed dragon. Long did they struggle, one with the other. But Kiss Miklos said to the rusty sword, "Cut, my dear sword!" and with that, it cut three heads off the dragon, and so on until all twelve heads were hewn off, and the twelve-headed dragon drew his last breath. Then Kiss Miklos took by the halter the milk-white haired, black-maned steed of the moon, on whose saddle-bow the bright moon was dangling, and gave it to the care of his second brother. Then they passed over the silver bridge, which sounded like the most beautiful music from the golden shoes of the magic steed.

They traveled and journeyed through forty-nine kingdoms, beyond the Operentsia Sea and the glass mountains, beyond where the little short-tailed pig roots, and farther still, until they came to the golden bridge.

Then Kiss Miklos spoke to his two brothers, saying, "My dear brothers, let us hide under the bridge, for soon the steed of the sun will be here, and on it the twenty-four-headed dragon, from whose saddle-bow the shining sun is dangling. He will call me out to the keen sword, and I will match strength with him. He will not be able to conquer me, nor I him. Then we will both turn into flames—he a red flame, I a blue flame. But even then we won't be able to conquer each other, for our strength will be equal. But here is a sulfur stone. When the red flame springs highest toward the sky to press down the blue flame, that is me, then you must strike the sulfur stone on the red flame."

Our Kiss Miklos had barely finished speaking when the steed of the sun was on the bridge, bearing the twenty-four-headed dragon and the shining sun. The steed of the sun stumbled on the golden bridge. The twenty-four-headed dragon became enraged and said, "Ah, may the crow eat your eye, may the dog eat your flesh, may the earth drink your blood! I have ridden from forest to forest on you, I have leaped you from mountain to mountain, and never have you stumbled. But now on the even road you have stumbled. In my world-beautiful life I have always heard the fame of Kiss Miklos—may the dog devour him!—and if he were here now, I would like to have a struggle with him."

At that word, our Kiss Miklos sprang out onto the golden bridge and closed with the twenty-four-headed dragon. But Kiss Miklos commanded, "Cut, my dear sword!" and instantly it cut the twenty-four heads off the dragon. But wonder of the world! In the twinkle of an eye, new ones grew out, and the leaping sword could not cut those. In vain Kiss Miklos said, "Cut, my dear sword!" for it could not cut these heads. So Kiss Miklos took the sword in his hand and whirled it like lightning, but he did nothing with it, for the dragon had power of the same kind as he.

When the dragon saw that he could not succeed against Kiss Miklos, he spoke: "Listen to me, Kiss Miklos! I wish you had perished with your mother, for I see that I can do nothing with you, nor you with me. Let us make one trial. Turn yourself into a blue flame, and I will turn into a red one, and whichever can put out the other will have the steed of the sun and the shining sun upon it."

So it was done. Kiss Miklos turned into a blue flame, and the twenty-four-headed dragon turned into a red one. The two flames fought, but neither was able to put out the other. Happily, the two brothers threw the sulfur stone on the red flame, and then the blue flame put out the red one. When it was completely quenched, the twenty-four-headed dragon ceased to live.

Kiss Miklos gave the steed of the sun to his elder brother and told his two brothers to go home quietly, for he had work of his own. With that, he took farewell of them. Then Miklos shook himself, turned into a little gray cat, ran along the highroad, and all at once sprang into a cabin. In the cabin was the mother of the dragons and their two wives.

The younger dragon's wife saw the little gray cat; she took it on her lap, stroked it, and said to the mother of the dragons, "Well, if I knew that that cursed Kiss Miklos had killed my lord, I would turn into such a spring of water that if he and his two brothers were to drink not more than one drop of it, they would die a fearful death on the spot."

With that, the little gray cat sprang from the lap of the younger dragon's wife and rubbed up to the skirt of the elder dragon's wife, who took it on her lap, stroked it, and said, "Ah! If I knew that that cursed Kiss Miklos had killed my lord, I would change into such a pear-tree that if he and his two brothers were to eat no more than one morsel of a pear of mine, they would die a fearful death."

With that, the little gray cat sprang from the lap of the elder dragon's wife and rubbed against the skirt of the old woman, who took it on her lap, fondled it, and said to her two daughters-in-law, "My dear girls, just prop up my two eyes with that iron bar, which weighs twelve hundred pounds, so that I may look around."

Her two daughters-in-law then took the twelve-hundred-pound iron bar and opened the old woman's eyes. Then she spoke: "If that cursed Kiss Miklos has killed my two sons, I will turn into a mouth, one jaw of which will be on the earth and the other I will throw to the sky, so as to catch that cursed villain and his two brothers, and grind them as millstones grind wheat."

When the little gray cat had heard all this, it shot away in a flash out of the cabin, sprang along, and never stopped until it came to the good magic steed.

The old woman threw the twelve-hundred-pound bar after the cat, but she failed in her cast, for that moment her eyelids fell; she was not able to keep them open unless they were propped, for she was old. So Kiss Miklos escaped the twelve-hundred-pound bar—certain death. I say that he escaped, for he came to his good magic steed, shook himself, and from a little gray cat became a young man as before. Then he sat on the good steed, which sprang once, jumped twice, and straightway Miklos was with his two brothers. Then they fared homeward in quiet comfort.

The second brother grew thirsty and said, "Oh, but I am dry! My throat is burning!"

"If that is your only trouble," said Miklos, "I will soon bring you water. Out there a spring is bubbling up."

With that, Kiss Miklos put spurs to his good magic steed, which sprang once, jumped twice, and was at the spring. But instead of filling the gourd that hung at his side, he drew his sharp sword and thrust it three times into the bubbling water. In a moment, blood gushed forth from the spring, and a word of bitter pain was heard. That was the blood of the younger dragon's wife, and the word of pain was her death-groan. The blood made all the water red, and when the two brothers came up, they had no wish to drink a drop from the spring.

Well, they traveled and journeyed until the elder brother said, "Oh, but I am hungry!"

"If that is your trouble," said Kiss Miklos, "we can easily cure it, for there near the dam is a pear-tree, and on it so much ripe fruit that the limbs are breaking. Wait, I will bring you a pear directly; but lead the steed of the sun there."

Here Kiss Miklos put spurs to his steed, which sprang once, jumped twice, and stood before the pear-tree. Miklos drew his sharp sword and stabbed the pear-tree in the trunk three times. From the trunk blood gushed forth, and a bitter word of pain was heard. The red blood was the blood of the elder dragon's wife, and the bitter word of pain was her death-groan. With that, the pears fell, so that when the two elder brothers reached the tree, not only would they not eat the pears, but the desire of eating had gone from them.

Now they journeyed and traveled through forty-nine kingdoms, until at last Miklos saw from a distance that an unmercifully great mouth, one jaw of which was on earth and the other thrown up to the heavens, was nearing them like the swiftest storm, so that they barely had time to run into the door of the Lead Friend's house. And a thousand-fold was their luck that they got in, for the unmercifully great mouth stood before the threshold of the Lead Friend, so that whoever should go out would fall into it and be swallowed that minute.

"Hey! good Lead-Melting Friend," said Miklos, "have you much molten lead? I will pay you for it in honest coin."

"Haho! my friend Kiss Miklos, I know you. In my world-beautiful life I have ever heard your fame. Long have I been waiting for you. It is well that you are here—that you have entered my door—for you will never go a step farther from me."

"Oh! For God's sake," said Kiss Miklos, "do not pass your own threshold, for straightway the mother of the dragons will swallow you with her great mouth."

The Lead-Melting Friend went out of his chamber, saw the great mouth of the mother of the dragons, and went back in terror to his chamber, where he said to Kiss Miklos, "Oh, my good friend Kiss Miklos, give counsel. What are we to do?"

"Have you much molten lead?"

"Not much, only eighteen tons; it is out there in the caldron boiling."

"Do you know what? I will say one thing and two will come of it. Let us take the handles of that great caldron and pour its contents into the great mouth of the mother of the dragons."

Here, 'pon my soul! The Lead-Melting Friend put one handle on his shoulder, Kiss Miklos the other on his, brought the unmercifully great caldron to the threshold, and poured the eighteen tons of boiling lead into the old witch's mouth. The boiling lead burned up the stomach of the mother of the dragons, and straightway she breathed out her cursed soul.

So Kiss Miklos was freed from the mother of the dragons. But, poor fellow, he was like one that goes from the pail into the barrel, for the Lead-Melting Friend caught his Grace by the neck and took him, as he would a straw, to the chamber, where he said, "Look here, my good friend Kiss Miklos, in my world-beautiful life I have ever heard your fame. Therefore let us struggle now and see who is stronger, you or I." With that, the Lead Friend put only his little finger on Kiss Miklos. From that, he began to sink and went down through the lead floor of the chamber the distance of an ell.

"Kiss Miklos, my friend, do you wish to fight with me?" asked the Lead Friend. "You say nothing, so I see that you do not. Therefore this is my word and speech: I will keep you in endless slavery unless you bring me the Green Daughter of the Green King. But you," and he turned to the two brothers, "you may go home in gentle quietness, and take with you the steeds of the moon and the sun, on which are the bright moon and the shining sun, for of them I have no need."

Here our Miklos, in the midst of bitter tear-shedding, took farewell of his dear brothers. They held on their way homeward and arrived there in health. Great was the rejoicing in the kingdom that the poor man's sons, as their father had bequeathed them on his deathbed, brought home the bright moon and the shining sun. Therefore the king assembled all that were in his dominions of dukes, counts, barons, lords, lord's sons, chosen gypsies, and broad-brimmed, country-dressed Slovaks. Of these he sought counsel and asked, "What do brothers deserve who have brought home the bright moon and the shining sun?"

To this question they answered, "Our high lord, the one who has brought back the steed of the sun, and on it the bright shining sun, deserves to be king of the country, and he who has brought home the steed of the bright moon, and on it the fair moon, deserves to be viceroy. And each one of them should receive as wife a daughter of your Highness."