There was once upon a time a queen to whom God had given no children.Every morning she went into the garden and prayed to God in heaven tobestow on her a son or a daughter. Then an angel from heaven came to herand said: 'Be at rest, you shall have a son with the power of wishing,so that whatsoever in the world he wishes for, that shall he have.' Thenshe went to the king, and told him the joyful tidings, and when the timewas come she gave birth to a son, and the king was filled with gladness.

Every morning she went with the child to the garden where the wildbeasts were kept, and washed herself there in a clear stream. Ithappened once when the child was a little older, that it was lying inher arms and she fell asleep. Then came the old cook, who knew that thechild had the power of wishing, and stole it away, and he took a hen,and cut it in pieces, and dropped some of its blood on the queen's apronand on her dress. Then he carried the child away to a secret place,where a nurse was obliged to suckle it, and he ran to the king andaccused the queen of having allowed her child to be taken from her bythe wild beasts. When the king saw the blood on her apron, he believedthis, fell into such a passion that he ordered a high tower to be built,in which neither sun nor moon could be seen and had his wife put intoit, and walled up. Here she was to stay for seven years without meator drink, and die of hunger. But God sent two angels from heaven in theshape of white doves, which flew to her twice a day, and carried herfood until the seven years were over.

The cook, however, thought to himself: 'If the child has the power ofwishing, and I am here, he might very easily get me into trouble.' Sohe left the palace and went to the boy, who was already big enough tospeak, and said to him: 'Wish for a beautiful palace for yourself witha garden, and all else that pertains to it.' Scarcely were the words outof the boy's mouth, when everything was there that he had wished for.After a while the cook said to him: 'It is not well for you to be soalone, wish for a pretty girl as a companion.' Then the king's sonwished for one, and she immediately stood before him, and was morebeautiful than any painter could have painted her. The two playedtogether, and loved each other with all their hearts, and the old cookwent out hunting like a nobleman. The thought occurred to him, however,that the king's son might some day wish to be with his father, and thusbring him into great peril. So he went out and took the maiden aside,and said: 'Tonight when the boy is asleep, go to his bed and plunge thisknife into his heart, and bring me his heart and tongue, and if you donot do it, you shall lose your life.' Thereupon he went away, and whenhe returned next day she had not done it, and said: 'Why should I shedthe blood of an innocent boy who has never harmed anyone?' The cook oncemore said: 'If you do not do it, it shall cost you your own life.' Whenhe had gone away, she had a little hind brought to her, and ordered herto be killed, and took her heart and tongue, and laid them on a plate,and when she saw the old man coming, she said to the boy: 'Lie down inyour bed, and draw the clothes over you.' Then the wicked wretch came inand said: 'Where are the boy's heart and tongue?' The girl reached theplate to him, but the king's son threw off the quilt, and said: 'You oldsinner, why did you want to kill me? Now will I pronounce thy sentence.You shall become a black poodle and have a gold collar round your neck,and shall eat burning coals, till the flames burst forth from yourthroat.' And when he had spoken these words, the old man was changedinto a poodle dog, and had a gold collar round his neck, and the cookswere ordered to bring up some live coals, and these he ate, until theflames broke forth from his throat. The king's son remained there ashort while longer, and he thought of his mother, and wondered if shewere still alive. At length he said to the maiden: 'I will go home to myown country; if you will go with me, I will provide for you.' 'Ah,'she replied, 'the way is so long, and what shall I do in a strange landwhere I am unknown?' As she did not seem quite willing, and as theycould not be parted from each other, he wished that she might be changedinto a beautiful pink, and took her with him. Then he went away to hisown country, and the poodle had to run after him. He went to the towerin which his mother was confined, and as it was so high, he wished fora ladder which would reach up to the very top. Then he mounted up andlooked inside, and cried: 'Beloved mother, Lady Queen, are you stillalive, or are you dead?' She answered: 'I have just eaten, and am stillsatisfied,' for she thought the angels were there. Said he: 'I am yourdear son, whom the wild beasts were said to have torn from your arms;but I am alive still, and will soon set you free.' Then he descendedagain, and went to his father, and caused himself to be announced as astrange huntsman, and asked if he could offer him service. The king saidyes, if he was skilful and could get game for him, he should come tohim, but that deer had never taken up their quarters in any part of thedistrict or country. Then the huntsman promised to procure as much gamefor him as he could possibly use at the royal table. So he summoned allthe huntsmen together, and bade them go out into the forest with him.And he went with them and made them form a great circle, open at one endwhere he stationed himself, and began to wish. Two hundred deer and morecame running inside the circle at once, and the huntsmen shot them.Then they were all placed on sixty country carts, and driven home to theking, and for once he was able to deck his table with game, after havinghad none at all for years.

Now the king felt great joy at this, and commanded that his entirehousehold should eat with him next day, and made a great feast. Whenthey were all assembled together, he said to the huntsman: 'As you areso clever, you shall sit by me.' He replied: 'Lord King, your majestymust excuse me, I am a poor huntsman.' But the king insisted on it,and said: 'You shall sit by me,' until he did it. Whilst he was sittingthere, he thought of his dearest mother, and wished that one of theking's principal servants would begin to speak of her, and would ask howit was faring with the queen in the tower, and if she were alive still,or had perished. Hardly had he formed the wish than the marshal began,and said: 'Your majesty, we live joyously here, but how is the queenliving in the tower? Is she still alive, or has she died?' But the kingreplied: 'She let my dear son be torn to pieces by wild beasts; I willnot have her named.' Then the huntsman arose and said: 'Gracious lordfather she is alive still, and I am her son, and I was not carried awayby wild beasts, but by that wretch the old cook, who tore me from herarms when she was asleep, and sprinkled her apron with the blood of achicken.' Thereupon he took the dog with the golden collar, and said:'That is the wretch!' and caused live coals to be brought, and these thedog was compelled to devour before the sight of all, until flames burstforth from its throat. On this the huntsman asked the king if he wouldlike to see the dog in his true shape, and wished him back into the formof the cook, in the which he stood immediately, with his white apron,and his knife by his side. When the king saw him he fell into a passion,and ordered him to be cast into the deepest dungeon. Then the huntsmanspoke further and said: 'Father, will you see the maiden who brought meup so tenderly and who was afterwards to murder me, but did not do it,though her own life depended on it?' The king replied: 'Yes, I wouldlike to see her.' The son said: 'Most gracious father, I will show herto you in the form of a beautiful flower,' and he thrust his hand intohis pocket and brought forth the pink, and placed it on the royal table,and it was so beautiful that the king had never seen one to equal it.Then the son said: 'Now will I show her to you in her own form,' andwished that she might become a maiden, and she stood there looking sobeautiful that no painter could have made her look more so.

And the king sent two waiting-maids and two attendants into the tower,to fetch the queen and bring her to the royal table. But when she wasled in she ate nothing, and said: 'The gracious and merciful God who hassupported me in the tower, will soon set me free.' She lived three daysmore, and then died happily, and when she was buried, the two whitedoves which had brought her food to the tower, and were angels ofheaven, followed her body and seated themselves on her grave. The agedking ordered the cook to be torn in four pieces, but grief consumed theking's own heart, and he soon died. His son married the beautiful maidenwhom he had brought with him as a flower in his pocket, and whether theyare still alive or not, is known to God.