a woman was going about the unenclosed land with her daughter and
her step-daughter cutting fodder, when the lord came walking towards
them in the form of a poor man, and asked, "which is the way into the village?"
"if you want to know," said the mother, "seek it for yourself," and the daughter
added, "if you are afraid you will not find it, take a guide with you." but the
step-daughter said, "poor man, i will take you there, come with me." then
god was angry with the mother and daughter, and turned his back
on them, and wished that they should become as black as night and as
ugly as sin. to the poor step-daughter, however, god was gracious,
and went with her, and when they were near the village, he said a
blessing over her, and spake, "choose three things for thyself, and
i will grant them to thee." then said the maiden, "i should like to be
as beautiful and fair as the sun," and instantly she was white and
fair as day. "then i should like to have a purse of money which
would never grow empty." that the lord gave her also, but he said,
"do not forget what is best of all." said she, "for my third wish, i
desire, after my death, to inhabit the eternal kingdom of heaven."
that also was granted unto her, and then the lord left her. when the
step-mother came home with her daughter, and they saw that
they were both as black as coal and ugly, but that the step-daughter
was white and beautiful, wickedness increased still more in their
hearts, and they thought of nothing else but how they could do her an
injury. the step-daughter, however, had a brother called reginer,
whom she loved much, and she told him all that had happened. once
on a time reginer said to her, "dear sister, i will take thy likeness,
that i may continually see thee before mine eyes, for my love for thee
is so great that i should like always to look at thee." then she answered,
"but, i pray thee, let no one see the picture." so he painted his sister and
hung up the picture in his room; he, however, dwelt in the king's palace, for
he was his coachman. every day he went and stood before the picture, and
thanked god for the happiness of having such a dear sister. now it happened
that the king whom he served, had just lost his wife, who had been so
beautiful that no one could be found to compare with her, and on this account
the king was in deep grief. the attendants about the court, however, remarked
that the coachman stood daily before this beautiful picture, and they were
jealous of him, so they informed the king. then the latter ordered the
picture to be brought to him, and when he saw that it was like his lost
wife in every respect, except that it was still more beautiful, he fell
mortally in love with it. he caused the coachman to be brought before
him, and asked whom the portrait represented? the coachman said it
was his sister, so the king resolved to take no one but her as his wife,
and gave him a carriage and horses and splendid garments of cloth of
gold, and sent him forth to fetch his chosen bride. when reginer came
on this errand, his sister was glad, but the black maiden was jealous of her
good fortune, and grew angry above all measure, and said to her mother,
"of what use are all your arts to us now when you cannot procure such a
piece of luck for me?" "be quiet," said the old woman, "i will soon divert
it to you," and by her arts of witchcraft, she so troubled the eyes of the
coachman that he was half-blind, and she stopped the ears of the white maiden
so that she was half-deaf. then they got into the carriage, first the bride in
her noble royal apparel, then the step-mother with her daughter, and
reginer sat on the box to drive. when they had been on the way for
some time the coachman cried,
