The Iron Stove

Once upon a time, when wishes still came true, a king's son was enchanted by an old witch and locked inside an iron stove deep in the forest. There he spent many long years, and no one could free him. Now it happened that a king's daughter lost her way in that same forest and could not find her way back to her father's kingdom. After wandering for nine days, she came at last to the iron stove. A voice from inside spoke to her, saying, "Where do you come from, and where are you going?" She answered, "I have lost my father's kingdom and cannot get home again." Then the voice said, "I will help you get home, and quickly too, if you promise to do what I ask. I am the son of a king far greater than your father, and I will marry you."

She was afraid and thought, "Oh dear! What am I to do with an iron stove?" But she longed to see her father again, so she agreed to the voice's demand. Then the voice said, "You must come back here, bring a knife, and scrape a hole in the iron." With that, he gave her a companion who walked beside her in silence and brought her home in two hours. There was great joy in the castle when the princess returned, and the old king hugged her and kissed her. But she was deeply troubled and told her father, "Dear father, I have suffered so much! I would never have found my way home from the wild forest if I hadn't come across an iron stove. But I had to promise to go back, set it free, and marry it." The old king was so horrified that he nearly fainted, for she was his only child. So they decided to send the miller's daughter in her place, for she was very beautiful.

They took her to the stove, gave her a knife, and told her to scrape at the iron. She scraped for twenty-four hours, but could not remove even a tiny piece. At dawn, a voice from the stove said, "It seems to me it is day outside." She replied, "It seems so to me too; I think I hear my father's mill."

The voice said, "So you are the miller's daughter! Go away at once, and send the king's daughter here." The miller's daughter went back and told the old king that the voice would not accept her and demanded the princess. Then they decided to send the swineherd's daughter, who was even prettier than the miller's daughter, and they gave her a piece of gold to go to the stove. She too scraped for twenty-four hours, but made no progress. At dawn, the voice inside cried, "It seems to me it is day outside!" She answered, "So it seems to me also; I think I hear my father's horn blowing."

The voice said, "Then you are the swineherd's daughter! Go away at once, and tell the king's daughter to come. All must be done as promised, and if she does not come, everything in the kingdom shall be ruined and destroyed, and not one stone shall be left standing on another." When the princess heard this, she wept, but there was no way out; she had to keep her promise. So she said goodbye to her father, put a knife in her pocket, and went to the iron stove in the forest. When she arrived, she began to scrape, and the iron gave way. After two hours, she made a small hole. She peered inside and saw a handsome youth, shining with gold and precious jewels, and her heart was filled with joy. She scraped until the hole was big enough for him to step out.

He said, "You are mine, and I am yours; you are my bride, and you have set me free." He wanted to take her to his kingdom, but she begged him to let her go back to her father one last time. He agreed, but told her not to say more than three words to her father, and then she must return. She went home, but she spoke more than three words, and instantly the iron stove disappeared, carried far away over glass mountains and piercing swords. The king's son was free, no longer trapped inside. After that, she said goodbye to her father, took a little money, and went back to the great forest to look for the stove, but it was nowhere to be found.

For nine days she searched, and her hunger grew so great that she did not know what to do. When evening came, she climbed a small tree and decided to spend the night there, fearing wild beasts. At midnight, she saw a small light in the distance and thought, "Ah, there I would be saved!" She climbed down and went toward the light, praying as she walked. She came to a little old house overgrown with grass, with a small pile of wood in front. She peeped through the window and saw only toads, big and little, but on the table were wine and roast meat, with silver plates and glasses. She knocked at the door. The fat toad cried out:

"Little green waiting-maid, Waiting-maid with the limping leg, Little dog of the limping leg, Hop hither and thither, And quickly see who is without."

A small toad hopped over and opened the door. When she entered, they all welcomed her and made her sit down. They asked where she came from and where she was going. She told them everything that had happened: how she had broken the command not to speak more than three words, and how the stove and the king's son had disappeared, and now she was searching for him over hill and dale. The old fat toad then said:

"Little green waiting-maid, Waiting-maid with the limping leg, Little dog of the limping leg, Hop hither and thither, And bring me the great box."

The little toad brought the box. They gave her food and drink, and led her to a comfortable bed that felt like silk and velvet. She slept peacefully. In the morning, the old toad gave her three needles from the box, saying she would need them to cross a high glass mountain, three sharp swords, and a great lake. If she did all this, she would find her lover again. The toad also gave her three large needles, a plough-wheel, and three nuts, and told her to take great care of them.

She set out and came to the glass mountain, which was slippery, but she stuck the needles into it, first behind her feet and then before them, and climbed over. On the other side, she hid the needles in a marked place. Next she came to the three sharp swords, and she sat on her plough-wheel and rolled over them. Finally, she crossed a great lake and arrived at a large and beautiful castle. She asked for work, saying she was a poor girl and would be glad to be hired. She knew, however, that the king's son she had freed was in the castle. She was taken on as a scullery-maid at small wages. But the king's son had another maiden by his side, whom he planned to marry, for he thought the princess had died.

In the evening, after her work, she felt in her pocket and found the three nuts. She cracked one open and was about to eat the kernel when, lo and behold, inside was a beautiful royal garment! When the bride heard of it, she came and wanted to buy the dress, saying it was not suitable for a servant girl. But the girl refused to sell it, yet she offered to give it to the bride if she could spend one night in the bridegroom's chamber. The bride agreed, for the dress was lovely. That evening the bride told the bridegroom, "The silly girl will sleep in your room." He said, "If you wish, I have no objection." But the bride gave him a glass of wine with a sleeping drink, and he slept so soundly that the girl could not wake him.

The poor girl wept all night and cried, "I set you free when you were in the iron stove in the forest, I searched for you, climbed a glass mountain, crossed three sharp swords and a great lake, and yet you will not listen to me!"

The servants sat by the door and heard her weeping, and in the morning they told their master. The next evening, after her work, she opened the second nut, and inside was an even more beautiful dress. The bride saw it and wanted to buy it, but the girl would not sell it; she begged again for one night in the bridegroom's chamber. The bride gave him another sleeping drink, and he slept so deeply that he heard nothing. Again the girl wept all night, repeating her words. The servants heard her and told their master.

On the third evening, she opened the third nut, and inside was a dress stiff with pure gold, even more beautiful than the others. The bride desired it greatly, but the girl would only give it in exchange for another night in the bridegroom's chamber. This time the king's son was wary and threw the sleeping drink away.

So when the girl began to weep and cry, "Dearest love, I set you free when you were in the iron stove in the wild forest," the king's son leaped up and said, "You are the true one, you are mine, and I am yours."

Thereupon, while it was still night, he took her into a carriage, and they took away the false bride's clothes so she could not follow. They crossed the great lake, rode over the three sharp swords on the plough-wheel, and climbed the glass mountain using the needles. At last they reached the little old house, but when they went inside, it had become a great castle, and the toads were all enchanted princes and princesses, full of joy. The wedding was celebrated, and the prince and princess remained in that castle, which was much grander than their fathers'. They sent for the old king, who came to live with them, and they ruled over two kingdoms and lived happily ever after.

A mouse did run, This story is done.