The Sea—Hare 海兔

There was once upon a time a princess, who, high under the battlements in her castle, had an
apartment with twelve windows, which looked out in every possible direction, and when she
climbed up to it and looked around her, she could inspect her whole kingdom. When she looked
out of the first, her sight was more keen than that of any other human being; from the second she
could see still better, from the third more distinctly still, and so it went on, until the twelfth, from
which she saw everything above the earth and under the earth, and nothing at all could be kept
secret from her. Moreover, as she was haughty, and would be subject to no one, but wished to
keep the dominion for herself alone, she caused it to be proclaimed that no one should ever be
her husband who could not conceal himself from her so effectually, that it should be quite
impossible for her to find him. He who tried this, however, and was discovered by her, was to
have his head struck off, and stuck on a post. Ninety-seven posts with the heads of dead men
were already standing before the castle, and no one had come forward for a long time. The
princess was delighted, and thought to herself, "Now I shall be free as long as I live." Then three
brothers appeared before her, and announced to her that they were desirous of trying their luck.
The eldest believed he would be quite safe if he crept into a lime-pit, but she saw him from the
first window, made him come out, and had his head cut off. The second crept into the cellar of
the palace, but she perceived him also from the first window, and his fate was sealed. His head
was placed on the nine and ninetieth post. Then the youngest came to her and entreated her to
give him a day for consideration, and also to be so gracious as to overlook it if she should happen
to discover him twice, but if he failed the third time, he would look on his life as over. As he
was so handsome, and begged so earnestly, she said, "Yes, I will grant thee that, but thou wilt not
succeed."
Next day he meditated for a long time how he should hide himself, but all in vain. Then he
seized his gun and went out hunting. He saw a raven, took a good aim at him, and was just going
to fire, when the bird cried, "Don't shoot; I will make it worth thy while not." He put his gun
down, went on, and came to a lake where he surprised a large fish which had come up from the
depths below to the surface of the water. When he had aimed at it, the fish cried, "Don't shoot,
and I will make it worth thy while." He allowed it to dive down again, went onwards, and met a
fox which was lame. He fired and missed it, and the fox cried, "You had much better come here
and draw the thorn out of my foot for me." He did this; but then he wanted to kill the fox and
skin it, the fox said, "Stop, and I will make it worth thy while." The youth let him go, and then as
it was evening, returned home.
Next day he was to hide himself; but howsoever much he puzzled his brains over it, he did not
know where. He went into the forest to the raven and said, "I let thee live on, so now tell me
where I am to hide myself, so that the King's daughter shall not see me." The raven hung his
head and thought it over for a longtime. At length he croaked, "I have it." He fetched an egg out
of his nest, cut it into two parts, and shut the youth inside it; then made it whole again, and seated
himself on it. When the King's daughter went to the first window she could not discover him,
nor could she from the others, and she began to be uneasy, but from the eleventh she saw him.
She ordered the raven to be shot, and the egg to be brought and broken, and the youth was forced
to come out. She said, "For once thou art excused, but if thou dost not do better than this, thou
art lost!"

Next day he went to the lake, called the fish to him and said, "I suffered thee to live, now tell me
where to hide myself so that the King's daughter may not see me." The fish thought for a while,
and at last cried, "I have it! I will shut thee up in my stomach." He swallowed him, and went
down to the bottom of the lake. The King's daughter looked through her windows, and even
from the eleventh did not see him, and was alarmed; but at length from the twelfth she saw him.
She ordered the fish to be caught and killed, and then the youth appeared. Every one can imagine
what a state of mind he was in. She said, "Twice thou art forgiven, but be sure that thy head will
be set on the hundredth post."

On the last day, he went with a heavy heart into the country, and met the fox. "Thou knowest
how to find all kinds of hiding-places," said he; "I let thee live, now advise me where I shall hide
myself so that the King's daughter shall not discover me." "That's a hard task," answered the fox,
looking very thoughtful. At length he cried, "I have it!" and went with him to a spring, dipped
himself in it, and came out as a stall-keeper in the market, and dealer in animals. The youth had
to dip himself in the water also, and was changed into a small sea-hare. The merchant went into
the town, and showed the pretty little animal, and many persons gathered together to see it. At
length the King's daughter came likewise, and as she liked it very much, she bought it, and gave
the merchant a good deal of money for it. Before he gave it over to her, he said to it, "When the
King's daughter goes to the window, creep quickly under the braids of he hair." And now the
time arrived when she was to search for him. She went to one window after another in turn, from
the first to the eleventh, and did not see him. When she did not see him from the twelfth either,
she was full of anxiety and anger, and shut it down with such violence that the glass in every
window shivered into a thousand pieces, and the whole castle shook.
She went back and felt the sea-hare beneath the braids of her hair. Then she seized it, and threw
it on the ground exclaiming, "Away with thee, get out of my sight!" It ran to the merchant, and
both of them hurried to the spring, wherein they plunged, and received back their true forms.
The youth thanked the fox, and said, "The raven and the fish are idiots compared with thee; thou
knowest the right tune to play, there is no denying that!"
The youth went straight to the palace. The princess was already expecting him, and
accommodated herself to her destiny. The wedding was solemnized, and now he was king, and
lord of all the kingdom. He never told her where he had concealed himself for the third time, and
who had helped him, so she believed that he had done everything by his own skill, and she had a
great respect for him, for she thought to herself, "He is able to do more than I."