The Little Man In Grey

: Normandy
: Fairy Tales From All Nations

A miner, a blacksmith, and a nun were travelling together through the

wide world. One day they were bewildered in a dark forest, and were so

wearied with wandering that they thought themselves right fortunate

when they saw, at a distance, a building wherein they hoped to find

shelter. They went up to it, and found that it was an ancient castle,

which, although half in ruins, still was in condition to afford a

habitatio for such distressed pilgrims as they. They resolved

therefore to enter, and held a council how they might best establish

themselves in it, and they very soon agreed that it would be best that

one of them should always remain at home whilst the other two went out

in search of provisions. They then cast lots who should first stay

behind, and the lot fell on the nun.



So when the miner and the blacksmith were gone out into the forest,

she prepared the food, and when noon arrived, and her companions did

not return, she ate her share of the provisions. As soon as she had

finished her meal a little man, clad in grey, came to the door, and

shivering, said: "Oh, I am so cold!"



Then the nun said to him: "Come to the fire and warm thyself."



The little man did as the nun desired him, but presently after he

exclaimed: "Oh, how hungry I am!"



Then the nun said to him: "There is food by the fire; eat some of it."



The little man fell upon the food, and in a very short time devoured

it all. When the nun saw what he had done she was very angry, and

scolded him for not having left any food for her companions. Upon this

the little man flew into a great passion, seized the nun, beat her,

and threw her from one wall to the other. He then quitted the castle

and went his way, leaving the nun on the floor. Towards evening the

two companions returned home very hungry, and when they found no food

they reproached the nun bitterly, and would not believe her when she

told them what had happened.



The following day the miner proposed to keep watch in the castle, and

said he would take good care that no one should have to go to bed

fasting. So the two others went into the forest, and the miner looked

after the cooking, ate his share, and put the rest by on the oven. The

little grey clad man came as before, but how terrified was the miner

when he perceived that this time the little man had two heads. He

shivered as on the preceding day, saying: "Oh, how cold I am!"



Much frightened, the miner pointed to the hearth. Then the little man

said: "Oh, how hungry I am!"



"There is food on the oven," said the miner; "eat some."



Then the little man fell to with both his heads, and soon ate it all

up, and licked the plates clean. When the miner reproached him for

eating all up, he got for his pains just the same treatment as the

nun. The little man beat him black and blue, and flung him against the

walls till they cracked; the poor miner lost both sight and hearing,

and at last the little man left him lying there, and went his way.






When the blacksmith and the nun returned hungry in the evening, and

found no supper, the blacksmith fell into a great rage with the miner,

and declared that when his turn should come next day to watch, the

castle, no one should want a supper. The next day, at meal time, the

little man appeared again but this time he had three heads. He

complained of cold, and was bidden by the blacksmith to sit by the

hearth. When he said he was hungry, the blacksmith gave him a portion

of the food. The little man soon dispatched that, and looked greedily

round with his six eyes, asking for more food, and when the blacksmith

hesitated to give it him, he tried to treat him as he had done the

nun and the miner; the blacksmith, however, was no coward, and seizing

a great smith's hammer, he rushed on the little man, and struck off

two of his heads, so that he made off as fast as he could with his

remaining head. But the blacksmith chased him through the forest along

many a pathway, till at last he suddenly disappeared through an iron

door. The blacksmith was thus obliged to give up the pursuit, but

promised himself not to rest until, with the aid of his two

companions, he should have brought the matter to a satisfactory

conclusion.



Meantime the nun and the miner had returned home. The smith set their

supper before them as he had undertaken to do, and then related his

adventure, showing them the two heads he had cut off, with their

staring glazed eyes. They then all three resolved to free themselves

altogether, if possible, from the little grey man, and the very next

day they set to work. They searched a long time before they could find

the iron door through which he had disappeared the preceding day, and

great toil did it cost them before they were able to break it open.

They then found themselves in a great vaulted chamber wherein sat a

beautiful maiden at a table, working. She started up, and threw

herself at their feet, thanking them as her deliverers, and told them

that she was the daughter of a king, and had been confined there by a

powerful sorcerer. Yesterday afternoon she had suddenly felt that the

spell was loosened, and from that moment she had hourly expected her

freedom, but that besides herself there was the daughter of another

king confined in the same place. They then went in search of the other

king's daughter and set her at liberty also. She thanked them joyfully

in like manner, and said that she also had felt since yesterday

afternoon that the spell was unbound. The two royal maidens now

informed their liberators that in concealed caves of the castle great

treasures were hoarded, which were guarded by a terrible dog. They

went in search of them and at length came upon the dog, whom the

blacksmith slew with his hammer, although he endeavoured to defend

himself.



The treasure consisted of whole tons of gold and silver, and a

handsome young man sat beside them as if to guard them. He came to

meet them and thanked them for setting him free. He was the son of a

king, but had been transformed by a sorcerer into the three-headed

little man and banished to that castle. By the loss of two of his

heads the spell was taken off the two royal maidens, and when the

blacksmith slew the terrible dog he himself was delivered from it. For

that service the whole of the treasure should be theirs.



The treasure was then divided, and it was a long time before they

could complete the distribution. The two princesses, however, out of

gratitude to their deliverers, married the miner and the blacksmith,

and the handsome prince married the nun; and so they passed the rest

of their lives in peace and joy.