in the days when wishing was still of some use, a king's son was
bewitched by an old witch, and shut up in an iron stove in a forest.
there he passed many years, and no one could deliver him. then a
king's daughter came into the forest, who had lost herself, and could
not find her father's kingdom again. after she had wandered about
for nine days, she at length came to the iron stove. then a voice came
forth from it, and asked her, "whence comest thou, and whither goest,
thou?" she answered, "i have lost my father's kingdom, and cannot get
home again." then a voice inside the iron stove said, "i will help thee to
get home again, and that indeed most swiftly, if thou wilt promise to do
what i desire of thee. i am the son of a far greater king than thy father,
and i will marry thee."
then was she afraid, and thought, "good heavens! what can i do with
an iron stove?" but as she much wished to get home to her father, she
promised to do as he desired. but he said, "thou shalt return here,
and bring a knife with thee, and scrape a hole in the iron." then he
gave her a companion who walked near her, but did not speak, but in
two hours he took her home; there was great joy in the castle when
the king's daughter came home, and the old king fell on her neck and
kissed her. she, however, was sorely troubled, and said, "dear father,
what i have suffered! i should never have got home again from the great
wild forest, if i had not come to an iron stove, but i have been forced to
give my word that i will go back to it, set it free, and marry it." then the
old king was so terrified that he all but fainted, for he had but this one
daughter. they therefore resolved they would send, in her place, the miller's
daughter, who was very beautiful. they took her there, gave her a knife,
and said she was to scrape at the iron stove. so she scraped at it for
four-and-twenty hours, but could not bring off the least morsel of it.
when day dawned, a voice in the stove said, "it seems to me it is day
outside." then she answered, "it seems so to me too; i fancy i hear
the noise of my father's mill."
