The Goblin Bird

: German
: Fairy Tales From All Nations

Two brothers one day set out from their father's hut, to seek their

fortune. The name of the elder one was Maszilo, the younger one was

called Mazziloniane. After a few days' journeying they reached a

plain, from which branched two roads; the one led eastwards, the other

westwards. The first road was covered with the footmarks of cattle,

the other with the footmarks of dogs. Maszilo followed the latter

road, his brothe went in the opposite direction.



After some days travelling Mazziloniane passed a hill which formerly

had been inhabited, and felt not a little astonished at beholding a

great quantity of earthen vessels, all of which were placed upside

down. In the hope of finding some treasure concealed under them, he

removed several, until he came to one of immense size. Mazziloniane,

gathering all his strength, gave it a violent push, but the vessel

remained immoveable. The young traveller now doubled his exertions,

but in vain. Twice he was obliged to fasten the girdle round his

loins, which through his exertions had burst; the vessel seemed as if

rooted to the ground. But all at once, as if by magic, it was upset by

a slight touch, and revealed to the youthful and trembling

Mazziloniane, a hideous and deformed giant.






"Why dost thou disturb me?" demanded the monster, in a voice of

thunder.



Mazziloniane, having recovered from his first fright, observed with

horror that one of the legs of the giant was as thick as the stem of a

large tree, whilst the other was of an ordinary size.



"As a well-merited punishment for thy temerity in disturbing me, thou

shalt henceforth carry me about;" and so saying the monster jumped on

the shoulders of the unfortunate youth, who, unable to support such a

weight, fell prostrate on the ground. Recovering himself with

difficulty, he endeavoured to advance a few steps, and again he fell

to the earth, his strength now wholly failing him. But the sight of an

eland, which was swiftly passing by, presented to his mind the means

of delivery.



"Dear father," said he, with trembling voice, to the abortion,

"release me for a moment; the reason why I cannot carry you is that I

have nothing wherewith to fasten you to my back; give me a few moments

to kill the eland which has just passed by, and out of its hide I will

cut some thongs for that purpose."



His demand was granted, and with the dogs that had accompanied him he

disappeared from the plain. After he had run a considerable distance

he took refuge in a cavern. But the thick-legged monster, tired of

waiting, soon followed, and wherever he discovered a footmark of the

youth, he in a mocking voice cried out:--



"The pretty little footmark of my dear child, the pretty little

footmark of Mazziloniane."



The youth heard him approaching, and felt the ground tremble under his

steps. Seized with despair he left the cavern, and calling his dogs,

he set them on the enemy; stroking and encouraging them, he said--



"On! my brave dogs, kill him, devour him, but leave his thick leg for

me."



The dogs obeyed the command of their master, and soon there was

nothing left but the deformed and shapeless leg, which now he

fearlessly approached, and with his axe cut into pieces, and, O

wonder! out of it came a herd of most beautiful cows, one of them

being as white as the driven snow; overjoyed he drove the cattle

before him, taking the road leading to his father's hut.



Meanwhile the other brother having got possession of a great number of

dogs, he also returned towards his home, and they both now met on the

same place where they so shortly before had separated. The younger

embracing the elder brother, offered him part of his herd, saying to

him: "As fortune has favoured me most, take what you like, but you

must leave me the white cow, for to no one else can she ever belong."



But Maszilo seemed to have placed his every desire upon this very

animal; regardless of all the rest, he begged and intreated his

brother to give up to him the possession thereof; but in vain were his

prayers. Having journeyed together for two days, on the third day they

came to a spring--"Let us tarry here," said Maszilo, "I am faint and

exhausted with thirst; let us dig a deep hole, and convey the water

into it, that it may get cool and fresh."



When they had dug the well, Maszilo went in search of a great flat

stone, and with it covered the hole to protect the water from being

heated by the rays of the sun; after the water had been sufficiently

cooled, Maszilo drank first. His brother was now going to do the same,

but the moment he bent himself over the well, Maszilo suddenly taking

him by the hair, forced his head under the water, and held it there

until he was suffocated; he then pushed the corpse into the hole, and

covered it over with the stone.



With drooping head, though now sole master of the herd, the murderer

proceeded on his journey, but hardly had he advanced a few steps, when

a little bird perched on the horn of the white cow, and in a mournful

tune sang: "Tsiri! tsiri! Maszilo killed Mazziloniane to get

possession of the white cow which the murdered brother so much loved."



Enraged, he killed the bird with a stone, but hardly had he

sufficiently recovered himself to proceed on his journey, when the

bird again came flying, placed itself on the same spot, and repeated

the same words; Maszilo again killed him with a stone, and then

crushed him with his heavy staff; but within a few minutes the bird

reappeared for the third time, again perching on the horn of the cow,

and repeating the same words.



"Ah, Demon!" cried Maszilo, choking with rage, "I will try a more

effectual way to silence thee;" whereupon he threw his staff at the

hated little bird, who in such doleful tunes had stirred up and

upbraided his conscience-stricken soul: he again killed it, and then

lighting a fire, in it he burnt the bird to ashes, which he scattered

in the winds.






Now convinced that the goblin-bird would return no more, Maszilo, full

of pride and hardiness, returned to his father's dwelling. On his

arrival there, he was surrounded by all the villagers, who, full of

curiosity, gathered around him, in admiration of the rich flock, and

praised his good fortune, but the first impulse of their curiosity

satiated, they almost with one voice inquired "Where is Mazziloniane?"



"I know not; we went different ways," answered he.



Many of his relations now surrounded the white cow, and exclaimed: "Oh

how beautiful she is! what fine hair! what a pure colour! happy the

man that owns such a treasure!"



Suddenly, their exclamations were changed into deep silence, for upon

one of the horns of the much-admired animal appeared a little bird,

singing in most melancholy strains, "Tsiri! tsiri! Maszilo killed

Mazziloniane, to get possession of the white cow which the murdered

brother so much loved."



"What! has Maszilo killed his brother?" all exclaimed, and, full of

horror, turned away from the murderer, unable to account to themselves

for the emotion he inspired, and the strangeness of the disclosure.

Infuriated, they drove Maszilo from their home, into the desert: in

the confusion this occasioned, the little bird flew to the murdered

man's sister, and whispered in her ear, "I am the soul of

Mazziloniane; Maszilo has killed me; my body lies in a well near the

desert, go bury it--" and then the bird flew back into the desert,

evermore to be the companion of the murderer.