Iron John

There was once upon a time a king who had a great forest near

his palace, full of all kinds of wild animals.  One day he sent

out a huntsman to shoot him a roe, but he did not come back.

Perhaps some accident has befallen him, said the king, and the

next day he sent out two more huntsmen who were to search for him,

but they too stayed away.  Then on the third day, he sent for all

his huntsmen, and said, scour the whole forest through, and do

not give up until you have found all three.  But of these also,

none came home again, and of the pack of hounds which they had

taken with them, none were seen again.  From that time forth,

no one would any longer venture into the forest, and it lay

there in deep stillness and solitude, and nothing was seen of it,

but sometimes an eagle or a hawk flying over it.  This lasted

for many years, when an unknown huntsman announced himself

to the king as seeking a situation, and offered to go into the

dangerous forest.  The king, however, would not give his consent,

and said, it is not safe in there, I fear it would fare with you

no better than with the others, and you would never come out

again.  The huntsman replied, lord, I will venture it at my own

risk, of fear I know nothing.

The huntsman therefore betook himself with his dog to the forest.

It was not long before the dog fell in with some game on the way,

and wanted to pursue it, but hardly had the dog run two steps

when it stood before a deep pool, could go no farther, and a

naked

arm stretched itself out of the water, seized it, and drew it

under.  When the huntsman saw that, he went back and fetched

three men to come with buckets and bale out the water.  When

they could see to the bottom there lay a wild man whose body

was brown like rusty iron, and whose hair hung over his face

down to his knees.  They bound him with cords, and led

him away to the castle.  There was great astonishment over the

wild man, the king, however, had him put in an iron cage in his

court-yard, and forbade the door to be opened on pain of death,

and the queen herself was to take the key into her keeping.

And from this time forth every one could again go into the

forest with safety.

The king had a son of eight years, who was once playing in the

court-yard, and while he was playing, his golden ball fell into

the cage.  The boy ran thither and said, give me my ball out.

Not till you have opened the door for me, answered the man.  No,

said the boy, I will not do that, the king has forbidden it,

and ran away.  The next day he again went and asked for his

ball.  The wild man said, open my

door, but the boy would not.  On the third day the king had

ridden out hunting, and the boy went once more and said, I

cannot open the door even if I wished, for I have not the key.

Then the wild man said, it lies under your mother’s pillow,

you can get it there.  The boy, who wanted to have his ball back,

cast all thought to the winds, and brought the key.  The door

opened with difficulty, and the boy pinched his fingers.  When

it was open the wild man stepped out, gave him the golden ball,

and hurried away.  The boy had become afraid, he called and

cried after him, oh, wild man, do not go away, or I shall be

beaten.  The wild man turned back, took him up, set him on his

shoulder, and went with hasty steps into the forest.  When the

king came home, he observed the empty cage, and asked the queen

how that had happened.  She knew nothing about it, and sought the

key, but it was gone.  She called the boy, but no one answered.

The king sent out people to seek for him in the fields, but

they did not find him.  Then he could easily guess what had

happened, and much grief reigned in the royal court.

When the wild man had once more reached the dark forest, he

took the boy down from his shoulder, and said to him, you

will never see your father and mother again, but I will keep

you with me, for you have set me free, and I have compassion

on you.  If you do all I bid you, you shall fare well.  Of

treasure and gold have I enough, and more than anyone in the

world.  He made a bed of moss for the boy on which he slept,

and the next morning the man took him to a well, and said,

behold, the gold well is as bright and clear as crystal, you

shall sit beside it, and take care that nothing falls into

it, or it will be polluted.  I will come every evening to see if

you have obeyed my order.  The boy placed himself by the brink of

the well, and often saw a golden fish or a golden snake show

itself therein, and took care that nothing fell in.  As he was

thus sitting, his finger hurt him so violently that he

involuntarily put it in the water.  He drew it quickly out

again, but saw that it was quite gilded, and whatsoever pains

he took to wash the gold off again, all was to no purpose.  In

the evening iron Hans came back, looked at the boy, and said,

what has happened to the well.  Nothing,

nothing, he answered, and held his finger behind his back, that

the man might not see it.  But he said, you have dipped your

finger into the water, this time it may pass, but take care

you do not again let anything go in.  By daybreak the boy was

already sitting by the well and watching it.  His finger hurt

him again and he passed it over his head, and then unhappily

a hair fell down into the well.  He took it quickly out, but

it was already quite gilded.  Iron Hans came, and already knew

what had happened.  You have let a hair fall into the well,

said he.  I will allow you to watch by it once more, but if this

happens for the third time then the well is polluted, and you

can no longer remain with me.

On the third day, the boy sat by the well, and did not stir his

finger, however much it hurt him.  But the time was long to

him, and he looked at the reflection of his face on the surface

of the water.  And as he still bent down more and more while he

was doing so, and trying to look straight into the eyes, his

long hair fell down from his shoulders into the water.  He

raised himself up quickly, but the whole of the hair of his head

was already golden and shone like the sun.  You can imagine how

terrified the poor boy was.  He took his pocket-handkerchief

and tied it round his head, in order that the man might not

see it.  When he came he already knew everything, and said,

take the handkerchief off.  Then the golden hair streamed forth,

and let the boy excuse himself as he might, it was of no use.

You have not stood the trial, and can stay here no longer.  Go

forth into the world, there you will learn what poverty is.  But

as you have not a bad heart, and as I mean well by you, there is

one thing I will grant you.  If you fall into any difficulty,

come to the forest and cry, iron Hans, and then I will come and

help you.  My power is great, greater than you think, and I have

gold and silver in abundance.

Then the king’s son left the forest, and walked by beaten and

unbeaten paths ever onwards until at length he reached a great

city.  There he looked for work, but could find none, and he

had learnt nothing by which he could help himself.  At length

he went to the palace, and asked if they would take him in.

The people about

court did not at all know what use they could make of him, but

they liked him, and told him to stay.  At length the cook took

him into his service, and said he might carry wood and water, and

rake the cinders together.  Once when it so happened that

no one else was at hand, the cook ordered him to carry the

food to the royal table, but as he did not like to let his

golden hair be seen, he kept his little cap on.  Such a thing

as that had never yet come under the king’s notice, and he said,

when you come to the royal table you must take your hat off.  He

answered, ah, lord, I cannot.  I have a bad sore place on my

head.  Then the king had the cook called before him and scolded

him, and asked how he could take such a boy as that into his

service, and that he was to send him away at once.  The cook,

however, had pity on him, and exchanged him for the gardener’s

boy.

And now the boy had to plant and water the garden, hoe and dig,

and bear the wind and bad weather.  Once in summer when he was

working alone in the garden, the day was so warm he took his

little cap off that the air might cool him.  As the sun shone

on his hair it glittered and flashed so that the rays fell into

the bed-room of the king’s daughter, and up she sprang to

see what that could be.  Then she saw the boy, and cried to

him, boy, bring me a wreath of flowers.  He put his cap on

with all haste, and gathered wild field-flowers and bound them

together.  When he was ascending the stairs with them, the

gardener met him, and said, how can you take the king’s daughter a

garland of such common flowers.  Go quickly, and get another,

and seek out the prettiest and rarest.  Oh, no, replied the

boy, the wild ones have more scent, and will please her better.

When he got into the room, the king’s daughter said, take

your cap off, it is not seemly to keep it on in my presence.

He again said, I may not, I have a sore head.  She, however,

caught at his cap and pulled it off, and then his golden hair

rolled down on his shoulders, and it was splendid to behold.

He wanted to run out, but she held him by the arm, and gave him

a handful of ducats.  With these he departed, but he cared

nothing for the gold pieces.  He took them to the gardener, and

said, I present them to

your children, they can play with them.  The following day the

king’s daughter again called to him that he was to bring her a

wreath of field-flowers, and when he went in with it, she

instantly snatched at his cap, and wanted to take it away from

him, but he held it fast with both hands.  She again gave him a

handful of ducats, but he would not keep them, and gave them

to the gardener for playthings for his children.  On the third

day things went just the same.  She could not get his cap away

from him, and he would not have her money.

Not long afterwards, the country was overrun by war.  The king

gathered together his people, and did not know whether or not

he could offer any opposition to the enemy, who was superior

in strength and had a mighty army.  Then said the gardener’s boy,

I am grown up, and will go to the wars also, only give me a

I am grown up, and will go the the wars also, only give me a

horse.  The others laughed, and said, seek one for yourself when

we are gone, we will leave one behind us in the stable for you.

When they had gone forth, he went into the stable, and led the

horse out.  It was lame of one foot, and limped hobblety

jig, hobblety jig, nevertheless he mounted it, and rode away

to the dark forest.  When he came to the outskirts, he called

‘iron Hans, three times so loudly that it echoed through the

trees.  Thereupon the wild man appeared immediately, and said,

what do you desire.  I want a strong steed, for I am going to the

wars.  That you shall have, and still more than you ask for.

Then the wild man went back into the forest, and it was not

long before a stable-boy came out of it, who led a horse that

snorted with its nostrils, and could hardly be restrained,

and behind them followed a great troop of warriors entirely

equipped in iron, and their swords flashed in the sun.  The

youth made over his three-legged horse to the stable-boy,

mounted the other, and rode at the head of the soldiers.  When

he got near the battle-field a great part of the king’s men had

already fallen, and little was wanting to make the rest give way.

Then the youth galloped thither with his iron soldiers, broke

like a hurricane over the enemy, and beat down all who opposed

him.  They began to flee, but the youth pursued, and never

stopped, until there was not a single man left.  Instead

of returning to the king, however, he conducted his troop

by byways back to the forest, and called forth iron Hans.

What do you desire, asked the wild man.  Take back your horse and

your troops, and give me my three-legged horse again.  All

that he asked was done, and soon he was riding on his three-legged

horse.  When the king returned to his palace, his daughter went

to meet him, and wished him joy of his victory.  I am not the

one who carried away the victory, said he, but a strange knight

who came to my assistance with his soldiers.  The daughter

wanted to hear who the strange knight was, but the king did

not know, and said, he followed the enemy, and I did not see him

again.  She inquired of the gardener where his boy was, but he

smiled, and said, he has just come home on his three-legged

horse, and the others have been mocking him, and crying, here

comes our hobblety jig back again.  They asked, too, under

what hedge have you been lying sleeping all the time.  So he

said, I did the best of all, and it would have gone badly without

me.  And then he was still more ridiculed.

The king said to his daughter, I will proclaim a great feast

that shall last for three days, and you shall throw a golden

apple.  Perhaps the unknown man will show himself.  When the

feast was announced, the youth went out to the forest, and called

iron Hans.  What do you desire, asked he.  That I may catch the

king’s daughter’s golden apple.  It is as safe as if you had

it already, said iron Hans.  You shall likewise have a suit of

red armor for the occasion, and ride on a spirited chestnut-horse.

When the day came, the youth galloped to the spot, took his

place amongst the knights, and was recognized by no one.  The

king’s daughter came forward, and threw a golden apple to the

knights, but none of them caught it but he, only as soon as he

had it he galloped away.

On the second day iron Hans equipped him as a white knight, and

gave him a white horse.  Again he was the only one who caught

the apple, and he did not linger an instant, but galloped

off with it.  The king grew angry, and said, that is not allowed.

He must appear before me and tell his name.  He gave the order

that if the knight who caught the apple, should go away again

they should

pursue him, and if he would not come back willingly, they were

to cut him down and stab him.

On the third day, he received from iron Hans a suit of black armor

and a black horse, and again he caught the apple.  But when he was

riding off with it, the king’s attendants pursued him, and

one of them got so near him that he wounded the youth’s leg

with the point of his sword.  The youth nevertheless escaped

from them, but his horse leapt so violently that the helmet fell

from the youth’s head, and they could see that he had golden

hair.  They rode back and announced this to the king.

The following day the king’s daughter asked the gardener about

his boy.  He is at work in the garden.  The queer creature has

been at the festival too, and only came home yesterday evening.

He has likewise shown my children three golden apples which he

has won.

The king had him summoned into his presence, and he came and again

had his little cap on his head.  But the king’s daughter went up

to him and took it off, and then his golden hair fell down

over his shoulders, and he was so handsome that all were amazed.

Are you the knight who came every day to the festival, always in

different colors, and who caught the three golden apples, asked

the king.  Yes, answered he, and here the apples are, and he

took them out of his pocket, and returned them to the king.  If

you desire further proof, you may see the wound which your people

gave me when they followed me.  But I am likewise the knight

who helped you to your victory over your enemies.  If you can

perform such deeds as that, you are no gardener’s boy, tell me,

who is your father.  My father is a mighty king, and gold have

I in plenty as great as I require.  I well see, said the king,

that I owe thanks to you, can I do anything to please you.  Yes,

answered he, that indeed you can.  Give me your daughter to wife.

The maiden laughed, and said, he does not stand much on ceremony,

but I have already seen by his golden hair that he was no

gardener’s boy, and then she went and kissed him.  His father and

mother came to the wedding, and were in great delight, for they

had given up all

hope of ever seeing their dear son again.  And as they were sitting

at the marriage-feast, the music suddenly stopped, the doors

opened, and a stately king came in with a great retinue.  He went

up to the youth, embraced him and said, I am iron Hans, and was by

enchantment a wild man, but you have set me free.  All the

treasures which I possess, shall be your property.