Iron John 铁约翰

THERE was once on 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 ye 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 more. 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 a strange 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 thee
no better than with the others, and thou wouldst 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 thou hast 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 thy mother's pillow, thou canst 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, "Thou
wilt never see thy father and mother again, but I will keep
thee with me, for thou hast set me free, and I have compassion
on thee. If thou dost all I bid thee, thou shalt 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, thou
shalt sit beside it, and take care that nothing falls into it, or it
will be polluted. I will come every evening to see if thou hast
obeyed my order." The boy placed himself by the margin 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 John 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, "Thou hast dipped thy finger
into the water, this time it may pass, but take care thou dost 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 John came, and already knew
what had happened. "Thou hast let a hair fall into the well,"
said he. "I will allow thee to watch by it once more, but if this
happens for the third time then the well is polluted, and thou
canst 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 may 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.
"Thou hast not stood the trial, and canst stay here no longer. Go
forth into the world, there thou wilt learn what poverty is. But
as thou hast not a bad heart, and as I mean well by thee, there is
one thing I will grant thee; if thou fallest into any difficulty,
come to the forest and cry, "Iron John," and then I will come and
help thee. My power is great, greater than thou thinkest, 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 thou comest to the royal table thou must take thy 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 turn him off 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 canst thou 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
thy 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 thy 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
horse." The others laughed, and said, "Seek one for thyself when
we are gone, we will leave one behind us in the stable for thee."
When they had gone forth, he went into the stable, and got 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 John," three times so
loudly that it echoed through the trees. Thereupon the wild man
appeared immediately, and said, "What dost thou desire?" "I want a
strong steed, for I am going to the wars." "That thou shalt have, and
still more than thou askest 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 soldiers 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 fly, but the youth pursued, and never stopped, until
there was not a single man left. Instead, however, of returning to the King,
he conducted his troop by bye-ways back to the forest, and called forth Iron
John. "What dost thou desire?" asked the wild man. "Take back thy horse
and thy 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 stranger 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 hast thou been lying
sleeping all the time?" He, however, 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 thou shalt throw a golden
apple. Perhaps the unknown will come to it." When the feast
was announced, the youth went out to the forest, and called
Iron John. "What dost thou desire?" asked he. "That I may catch
the King's daughter's golden apple." "It is as safe as if thou hadst
it already," said Iron John. "Thou shalt likewise have a suit of red
armour 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 John 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 John a suit of black armour
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.
"Art thou the knight who came every day to the festival, always in
different colours, 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 thou canst
perform such deeds as that, thou art no gardener's boy; tell me,
who is thy 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 thee; can I do anything to please thee?" "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 John, and was by enchantment a
wild man, but thou hast set me free; all the treasures which I possess,
shall be thy property."