IN former times there lived an aged Queen who was a sorceress, and her
daughter was the most beautiful maiden under the sun.  The old woman,
however, had no other thought than how to lure mankind to
destruction, and when a wooer appeared, she said that whosoever
wished to have her daughter, must first perform a task, or die.  Many
had been dazzled by the daughter's beauty, and had actually risked
this, but they never could accomplish what the old woman enjoined
them to do, and then no mercy was shown; they had to kneel down, and
their heads were struck off.  A certain King's son who had also heard of the
maiden's beauty, said to his father, "Let me go there, I want to demand her
in marriage."  "Never," answered the King; "if you were to go, it would be
going to your death."  On this the son lay down and was sick unto death,
and for seven years he lay there, and no physician could heal him. When
the father perceived that all hope was over, with a heavy heart he
said to him, "Go thither, and try your luck, for I know no other
means of curing you." When the son heard that, he rose from his bed
and was well again, and joyfully set out on his way.

And it came to pass that as he was riding across a heath, he saw from
afar something like a great heap of hay lying on the ground, and
when he drew nearer, he could see that it was the stomach of a man,
who had laid himself down there, but the stomach looked like a small
mountain.  When the fat man saw the traveller, he stood up and said,
"If you are in need of any one, take me into your service."  The
prince answered, "What can I do with such a great big man?"  "Oh," said
the Stout One, "this is nothing, when I stretch myself out well, I am
three thousand times fatter."  "If that's the case," said the prince,
"I can make use of thee, come with me."  So the Stout One followed the
prince, and after a while they found another man who was lying on the
ground with his ear laid to the turf.  "What art thou doing there?" asked
the King's son.  "I am listening," replied the man.  "What art thou listening
to so attentively?"  "I am listening to what is just going on in the world,
for nothing escapes my ears; I even hear the grass growing."  "Tell
me," said the prince, "what thou hearest at the court of the old Queen
who has the beautiful daughter."  Then he answered, "I hear the
whizzing of the sword that is striking off a wooer's head."  The King's son
said, "I can make use of thee, come with me."  They went onwards, and
then saw a pair of feet lying and part of a pair of legs, but could not see the
rest of the body.  When they had walked on for a great distance, they came
to the body, and at last to the head also.  "Why," said the prince, "what a
tall rascal thou art!"  "Oh," replied the Tall One, "that is nothing at all yet;
when I really stretch out my limbs, I am three thousand times as tall, and
taller than the highest mountain on earth.  I will gladly enter your
service, if you will take me."  "Come with me," said the prince, "I can make
use of thee."  They went onwards and found a man sitting by the road
who had bound up his eyes.  The prince said to him, "Hast thou weak
eyes, that

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