At the time when wishing still helped, an old witch cursed a king's son so that he should sit in a large iron oven in the forest. He spent many years there and nobody could redeem him. Once a king's daughter came into the forest, she had gone astray and could not find her father's kingdom again: she had walked around like this for nine days and finally stood in front of the iron chest. Then a voice came out and asked her, "Where do you come from and where do you want to go?" Are you going?” She replied, “I have lost my father's kingdom and cannot come home again.” Then it said from the iron furnace, “I will help you home again, and in a short time, if you will sign to do what I do I am a greater king's son than you, a king's daughter, and I want to marry you." She got a fright and thought, "Dear God, what should I do with the iron stove!" she signed on to do what he asked. But he said, "You should come back, bring a knife and scrape a hole in the iron." Then he gave her someone to be her companion, who walked alongside and didn't speak, but he took her home in two hours. There was great joy in the palace when the king's daughter came back, and the old king threw his arms around her neck and kissed her. But she was very sad and said, "Dear father, how has it been for me! I would not have come home from the great wild forest if I had not come to an iron stove, which I had to sign for that I wanted to return to him, save him and marry him.” Then the old man was frightened King so much that he almost fainted, for he had only one daughter. So they took counsel, they would take the miller's daughter, who would be beautiful, in their place; took her out and gave her a knife and told her to scrape at the iron stove. She also scraped for four and twenty hours but could not bring the slightest thing down. As the day broke, there was a cry in the iron furnace, "I think it's day outside." She answered, "I think so too, I think I hear my father's mill rattling." let the king's daughter come here.” So she went and told the old king outside she didn't want it, he wanted his daughter. Then the old king was frightened and the daughter wept. But they still had a swineherd's daughter, who was even more beautiful than the miller's daughter, and they wanted to give her a piece of money so that she could go to the iron stove for the king's daughter. So she was taken out, and had to scrape for four and twenty hours; but she brought nothing of it. As the day broke, there was a cry in the oven, "I think it's day outside." She answered, "I think so too, I think I hear my father's croissants." The king's daughter come: and tell her what I promised her will happen to her, and if she doesn't come, everything in the whole kingdom should crumble and collapse and not a stone be left unturned." When the king's daughter heard this, she began to cry : but it was no different now, she had to keep her promise. So she said goodbye to her father, put a knife in her pocket and went out into the woods to the iron stove. Now that she had arrived she started scraping and the iron gave way and by the time two hours had passed she had already scraped a small hole. Then she looked in and saw such a handsome young man, alas, he shimmered in gold and precious stones, so much so that she really liked him. Now she scraped further and made the hole big enough for him to get out. Then he said, "You are mine and I am yours, you are my bride and have redeemed me." He wanted to take her with him to his kingdom, but she asked that she be allowed to go to her father once more, and the king's son allowed her, but she should not speak more than three words to her father, and then she should come back. So she went home, but she spoke more than three words: the iron furnace immediately disappeared and was pushed far away over glass mountains and cutting swords; but the king's son was redeemed and no longer locked up in it. After that she said goodbye to her father and took some money with her, but not much, went back into the big forest and looked for the iron stove, but it couldn't be found. She searched for nine days, when she became so hungry that she did not know what to do, for she had nothing left to live for. And when evening came, she sat on a little tree and thought of spending the night there, because she was afraid of the wild beasts. When midnight came, she saw a little light from afar and thought, "Oh, that would save me," climbed down from the tree and followed the light, but on the way she prayed. Then she came to a small old house, and a lot of grass had grown around it, and there was a small heap of wood in front of it. When she thought, "Oh, where are you coming from?" looked in through the window, and she saw nothing in it but fat and small toads, but a table beautifully set with wine and roast meat, and plates and cups were made of silver. So she took heart and knocked. Immediately the fat man called
"Sir green and small,
Hutzelbein,
Hutzelbein's puppy,
squirm back and forth,
let's quickly see who's outside."
Then a little itch came and opened it for her. As she entered, everyone welcomed her and she had to sit down. They asked "where are you from? Where do you want to go?” Then she told everything how things had gone for her, and because she had broken the command not to speak more than three words, the stove would be gone along with the king’s son: now she wanted to search for so long and over the mountain and valley wander until she finds him. Then the old fat man spoke
"Sir green and small,
Hutzelbein,
Hutzelbein's puppy,
squirm back and forth,
bring me the big box.”
So the little one went and brought the box with her. After that they gave her food and drink, and brought her to a beautiful made bed, which was like silk and velvet, and she lay down on it and slept in God's name. When the day came, she climbed up, and old Itsche gave her three needles from the big box, which she was to take with her; they would make things necessary for her, for she would have to cross a high glass mountain and three cutting swords and a great body of water: if she succeeded, she would get her lover back. Now she hereby gave three parts (pieces) which she should take good care of, viz. three large needles, a plow wheel and three nuts. With this she departed, and when she came before the glass mountain, which was so smooth, she stuck the three needles behind her feet and then forward again, and so got over, and when she was over she stuck them in one place , which she probably took care of. After that she came before the three cutting swords, so she stood on her plow wheel and rolled over. At last she came to a large body of water, and when she had run over it, to a large, beautiful castle. She went in and asked for a service, saying she was a poor maid and would like to hire out; but she knew that the king's son was inside, whom she had rescued from the iron furnace in the great forest. So she was taken on as a kitchen maid for a small wage. Now the king's son had another woman by his side, whom he wanted to marry because he thought she had long since died. In the evening, when she had washed up and was ready, she felt in her pocket and found the three nuts that old Itsche had given her. Bit open one and wanted to eat the kernel, behold, there was a proud royal dress in it. Now when the bride heard, she came and asked for the dress and wanted to buy it, saying, "It would not be a dress for a maid." So she said no, she did not want to sell it, but whenever she wanted it (a thing) all the same permit, she should have it, namely, to sleep a night in her bridegroom's room. The bride allows her because the dress was so beautiful and she hasn't had one like this before. When it was evening, she said to her bridegroom, "The foolish girl wants to sleep in your room." "If you're happy, I'm happy too," he said. But she gave the man a glass of wine in which she had put a sleeping draft. So they both went to sleep in the chamber, and he slept so soundly that she could not wake him. She cried all night and cried, "I rescued you from the wild forest and from an iron furnace, I looked for you and walked over a glass mountain, over three cutting swords and over a great body of water before I found you. And you don't want to hear me." The servants sat in front of the room door and heard how she cried all night and told her master in the morning. And when she had washed up the next evening, she bit open the second nut, there was a far nicer dress in it; as the bride saw it, she also wanted to buy it. But the girl didn't want any money and asked if she could sleep in the bridegroom's room again. But the bride gave him a sleeping potion, and he slept so soundly that he could not hear anything. But the kitchen maid cried all night and cried, "I redeemed you from a forest and from an iron furnace, I looked for you and walked over a glass mountain, over three cutting swords and over a great body of water before I found you and you don't want to hear me." The servants sat in front of the room door and heard how she cried all night, and told her master in the morning. And when she had washed up on the third evening, she bit open the third nut and there was an even more beautiful dress in it, gleaming with pure gold. When the bride saw it, she wanted it, but the girl would only give it up if she could sleep in the bridegroom's room for the third time. But the king's son took care and let the sleeping potion pass by. As she began to cry and to call out, "Dearest darling, I have redeemed you from the cruel, wild forest and from an iron furnace," the king's son jumped up and said, "You are the right one, you are mine and I am yours.” That same night he got into a carriage with her, and they took the clothes from the false bride so that she could not get up. When they came to the great water, they sailed across, and in front of the three cutting swords they sat on the plough-wheel, and in front of the glass mountain they stuck in the three needles. So they finally got to the old little house, but as soon as they entered it was a big castle: the chicks were all released and were all royal children and were in full joy. There the wedding took place, and they stayed in the castle, which was much larger than their father's castle. But because the old man lamented that he should be left alone, they went and took him home, and had two kingdoms and lived in good marriage.
There came a mouse
The fairy tale was over.