there was once upon a time a couple of rich folks who had twelve sons, and when the youngest was grown up he would not stay at home any longer, but would go out into the world and seek his fortune. his father and mother said that they thought he was very well off at home, and that he was welcome to stay with them; but ho could not rest, and said that he must and would go, so at last they had to give him leave. when he had walked a long way, he came to a king’s palace. there he asked for a place and got it.

now the daughter of the king of that country had been carried off into the mountains by a troll, and the king had no other children, and for this cause both he and all his people were full of sorrow and affliction, and the king had promised the princess and half his kingdom to anyone who could set her free; but there was no one who could do it, though a great number had tried. so when the youth had been there for the space of a year or so, he wanted to go home again to pay his parents a visit; but when he got there his father and mother were dead, and his brothers had divided everything that their parents possessed between themselves, so that there was nothing at all left for him.

‘shall i, then, receive nothing at all of my inheritance?’ asked the youth.

‘who could know that you were still alive — you who have been a wanderer so long?’ answered the brothers. ‘however, there are twelve mares upon the hills which we have not yet divided among us, and if you would like to have them for your share, you may take them.’

so the youth, well pleased with this, thanked them, and at once set off to the hill where the twelve mares were at pasture. when he got up there and found them, each mare had her foal, and by the side of one of them was a big dapple-grey foal as well. which was so sleek that it shone again.

‘well, my little foal, you are a fine fellow!’ said the youth.

‘yes, but if you will kill all the other little foals so that i can suck all the mares for a year, you shall see how big and handsome i shall be then!’ said the foal.

so the youth did this — he killed all the twelve foals, and then went back again.

next year, when he came home again to look after his mares and the foal, it was as fat as it could be, and its coat shone with brightness, and it was so big that the lad had the greatest difficulty in getting on its back, and each of the mares had another foal.

‘well, it’s very evident that i have lost nothing by letting you suck all my mares,’ said the lad to the yearling; ‘but now you are quite big enough, and must come away with me.’

‘no,’ said the colt, ‘i must stay here another year; kill the twelve little foals, and then i can suck all the mares this year also, and you shall see how big and handsome i shall be by summer.’

so the youth did it again, and when he went up on the hill next year to look after his colt and the mares, each of the mares had her foal again; but the dappled colt was so big that when the lad wanted to feel its neck to see how fat it was, he could not reach up to it, it was so high? and it was so bright that the light glanced off its coat.

‘big and handsome you were last year, my colt, but this year you are ever so much handsomer,’ said the youth; ‘in all the king’s court no such horse is to be found. but now you shall come away with me.’

‘no,’ said the dappled colt once more; ‘here i must stay for another year. just kill the twelve little foals again, so that i can suck the mares this year also, and then come and look at me in the summer.’

so the youth did it — he killed all the little foals, and then went home again.

but next year, when he returned to look after the dappled colt and the mares, he was quite appalled. he had never imagined that any horse could become so big and overgrown, for the dappled horse had to lie down on all fours before the youth could get on his back, and it was very hard to do that even when it was lying down, and it was so plump that its coat shone and glistened just as if it had been a looking-glass. this time the dappled horse was not unwilling to go away with the youth, so he mounted it, and when he came riding home to his brothers they all smote their hands together and crossed themselves, for never in their lives had they either seen or heard tell of such a horse as that.

‘if you will procure me the best shoes for my horse, and the most magnificent saddle and bridle that can be found,’ said the youth, ‘you may have all my twelve mares just as they are standing out on the hill, and their twelve foals into the bargain.’ for this year also each mare had her foal. the brothers were quite willing to do this; so the lad got such shoes for his horse that the sticks and stones flew high up into the air as he rode away over the hills, and such a gold saddle and such a gold bridle that they could be seen glittering and glancing from afar.

‘and now we will go to the king’s palace,’ said dapplegrim — that was the horse’s name, ‘but bear in mind that you must ask the king for a good stable and excellent fodder for me.’

so the lad promised not to forget to do that. he rode to the palace, and it will be easily understood that with such a horse as he had he was not long on the way.

when he arrived there, the king was standing out on the steps, and how he did stare at the man who came riding up!

‘nay,’ said he, ‘never in my whole life have i seen such a man and such a horse.’

and when the youth inquired if he could have a place in the king’s palace, the king was so delighted that he could have danced on the steps where he was standing, and there and then the lad was told that he should have a place.

‘yes; but i must have a good stable and most excellent fodder for my horse,’ said he.

so they told him that he should have sweet hay and oats, and as much of them as the dappled horse chose to have, and all the other riders had to take their horses out of the stable that dapplegrim might stand alone and really have plenty of room.

but this did not last long, for the other people in the king’s court became envious of the lad, and there was no bad thing that they would not have done to him if they had but dared. at last they bethought themselves of telling the king that the youth had said that, if he chose, he was quite able to rescue the princess who had been carried off into the mountain a long time ago by the troll.

the king immediately summoned the lad into his presence, and said that he had been informed that he had said that it was in his power to rescue the princess, so he was now to do it. if he succeeded in this, he no doubt knew that the king had promised his daughter and half the kingdom to anyone who set her free, which promise should be faithfully and honourably kept, but if he failed he should be put to death. the youth denied that he had said this, but all to no purpose, for the king was deaf to all his words; so there was nothing to be done but say that he would make the attempt.

he went down into the stable, and very sad and full of care he was. then dapplegrim inquired why he was so troubled, and the youth told him, and said that he did not know what to do, ‘for as to setting the princess free, that was downright impossible.’

‘oh, but it might be done,’ said dapplegrim. ‘i will help you; but you must first have me well shod. you must ask for ten pounds of iron and twelve pounds of steel for the shoeing, and one smith to hammer and one to hold.’

so the youth did this, and no one said him nay. he got both the iron and the steel, and the smiths, and thus was dapplegrim shod strongly and well, and when the youth went out of the king’s palace a cloud of dust rose up behind him. but when he came to the mountain into which the princess had been carried, the difficulty was to ascend the precipitous wall of rock by which he was to get on to the mountain beyond, for the rock stood right up on end, as steep as a house side and as smooth as a sheet of glass. the first time the youth rode at it he got a little way up the precipice, but then both dapplegrim’s fore legs slipped, and down came horse and rider with a sound like thunder among the mountains. the next time that he rode at it he got a little farther up, but then one of dapplegrim’s fore legs slipped, and down they went with the sound of a landslip. but the third time dapplegrim said: ‘now we must show what we can do,’ and went at it once more till the stones sprang up sky high, and thus they got up. then the lad rode into the mountain cleft at full gallop and caught up the princess on his saddle-bow, and then out again before the troll even had time to stand up, and thus the princess was set free.

when the youth returned to the palace the king was both happy and delighted to get his daughter back again, as may easily be believed, but somehow or other the people about the court had so worked on him that he was angry with the lad too. ‘thou shalt have my thanks for setting my princess free,’ he said, when the youth came into the palace with her, and was then about to go away.

she ought to be just as much my princess as she is yours now, for you are a man of your word,’ said the youth.

‘yes, yes,’ said the king. ‘have her thou shalt, as i have said it; but first of all thou must make the sun shine into my palace here.’

for there was a large and high hill outside the windows which overshadowed the palace so much that the sun could not shine in.

‘that was no part of our bargain,’ answered the youth. ‘but as nothing that i can say will move you, i suppose i shall have to try to do my best, for the princess i will have.’

so he went down to dapplegrim again and told him what the king desired, and dapplegrim thought that it might easily be done; but first of all he must have new shoes, and ten pounds of iron and twelve pounds of steel must go to the making of them, and two smiths were also necessary, one to hammer and one to hold, and then it would be very easy to make the sun shine into the king’s palace.

the lad asked for these things and obtained them instantly, for the king thought that for very shame he could not refuse to give them, and so dapplegrim got new shoes, and they were good ones. the youth seated himself on him, and once more they went their way, and for each hop that dapplegrim made, down went the hill fifteen ells into the earth, and so they went on until there was no hill left for the king to see.

when the youth came down again to the king’s palace he asked the king if the princess should not at last be his, for now no one could say that the sun was not shining into the palace. but the other people in the palace had again stirred up the king, and he answered that the youth should have her, and that he had never intended that he should not; but first of all he must get her quite as good a horse to ride to the wedding on as that which he had himself. the youth said that the king had never told him he was to do that, and it seemed to him that he had now really earned the princess; but the king stuck to what he had said, and if the youth were unable to do it he was to lose his life, the king said. the youth went down to the stable again, and very sad and sorrowful he was, as anyone may well imagine. then he told dapplegrim that the king had now required that he should get the princess as good a bridal horse as that which the bridegroom had, or he should lose his life. ‘but that will be no easy thing to do,’ said he, ‘for your equal is not to be found in all the world,’

‘oh yes, there is one to match me,’ said dapplegrim. ‘but it will not be easy to get him, for he is underground. however, we will try. now you must go up to the king and ask for new shoes for me, and for them we must again have ten pounds of iron, twelve pounds of steel, and two smiths, one to hammer and one to hold, but be very particular to see that the hooks are very sharp. and you must also ask for twelve barrels of rye, and twelve slaughtered oxen must we have with us, and all the twelve ox-hides with twelve hundred spikes set in each of them; all these things must we have, likewise a barrel of tar with twelve tons of tar in it. the youth went to the king and asked for all the things that dapplegrim had named, and once more, as the king thought that it would be disgraceful to refuse them to him, he obtained them all.

so he mounted dapplegrim and rode away from the court, and when he had ridden for a long, long time over hills and moors, dapplegrim asked: ‘do you hear anything?’

‘yes; there is such a dreadful whistling up above in the air that i think i am growing alarmed,’ said the youth.

‘that is all the wild birds in the forest flying about; they are sent to stop us,’ said dapplegrim. ‘but just cut a hole in the corn sacks, and then they will be so busy with the corn that they will forget us.’

the youth did it. he cut holes in the corn sacks so that barley and rye ran out on every side, and all the wild birds that were in the forest came in such numbers that they darkened the sun. but when they caught sight of the corn they could not refrain from it, but flew down and began to scratch and pick at the corn and rye, and at last they began to fight among themselves, and forgot all about the youth and dapplegrim, and did them no harm.

and now the youth rode onwards for a long, long time, over hill and dale, over rocky places and morasses, and then dapplegrim began to listen again, and asked the youth if he heard anything now.

‘yes; now i hear such a dreadful crackling and crashing in the forest on every side that i think i shall be really afraid,’ said the youth.

‘that is all the wild beasts in the forest,’ said dapplegrim; ‘they are sent out to stop us. but just throw out the twelve carcasses of the oxen, and they will be so much occupied with them that they will quite forget us.’ so the youth threw out the carcasses of the oxen, and then all the wild beasts in the forest, both bears and wolves, and lions, and grim beasts of all kinds, came. but when they caught sight of the carcasses of the oxen they began to fight for them till the blood flowed, and they entirely forgot dapplegrim and the youth.

so the youth rode onwards again, and many and many were the new scenes they saw, for travelling on dapplegrim’s back was not travelling slowly, as may be imagined, and then dapplegrim neighed.

‘do you hear anything? he said.

‘yes; i heard something like a foal neighing quite plainly a long, long way off,’ answered the youth.

‘that’s a full-grown colt,’ said dapplegrim, ‘if you hear it so plainly when it is so far away from us.’

so they travelled onwards a long time, and saw one new scene after another once more. then dapplegrim neighed again.

‘do you hear anything now?’ said he.

‘yes; now i heard it quite distinctly, and it neighed like a full-grown horse,’ answered the youth.

‘yes, and you will hear it again very soon,’ said dapplegrim; ‘and then you will hear what a voice it has.’ so they travelled on through many more different kinds of country, and then dapplegrim neighed for the third time; but before he could ask the youth if he heard anything, there was such a neighing on the other side of the heath that the youth thought that hills and rocks would be rent in pieces.

‘now he is here!’ said dapplegrim. ‘be quick, and fling over me the ox-hides that have the spikes in them, throw the twelve tons of tar over the field, and climb up into that great spruce fir tree. when he comes, fire will spurt out of both his nostrils, and then the tar will catch fire. now mark what i say — if the flame ascends i conquer, and if it sinks i fail; but if you see that i am winning, fling the bridle, which you must take off me, over his head, and then he will become quite gentle.’

just as the youth had flung all the hides with the spikes over dapplegrim, and the tar over the field, and had got safely up into the spruce fir, a horse came with flame spouting from his nostrils, and the tar caught fire in a moment; and dapplegrim and the horse began to fight until the stones leapt up to the sky. they bit, and they fought with their fore legs and their hind legs, and sometimes the youth looked at them. and sometimes he looked at the tar, but at last the flames began to rise, for wheresoever the strange horse bit or wheresoever he kicked he hit upon the spikes in the hides, and at length he had to yield. when the youth saw that, he was not long in getting down from the tree and flinging the bridle over the horse’s head, and then he became so tame that he might have been led by a thin string.

this horse was dappled too, and so like dapplegrim that no one could distinguish the one from the other. the youth seated himself on the dappled horse which he had captured, and rode home again to the king’s palace, and dapplegrim ran loose by his side. when he got there, the king was standing outside in the courtyard.

‘can you tell me which is the horse i have caught, and which is the one i had before?’ said the youth. ‘if you can’t, i think your daughter is mine.’

the king went and looked at both the dappled horses; he looked high and he looked low, he looked before and he looked behind, but there was not a hair’s difference between the two.

‘no,’ said the king; ‘that i cannot tell thee, and as thou hast procured such a splendid bridal horse for my daughter thou shalt have her; but first we must have one more trial, just to see if thou art fated to have her. she shall hide herself twice, and then thou shalt hide thyself twice. if thou canst find her each time that she hides herself, and if she cannot find thee in thy hiding-places, then it is fated, and thou shalt have the princess.’

‘that, too, was not in our bargain,’ said the youth. ‘but we will make this trial since it must be so.’

so the king’s daughter was to hide herself first.

then she changed herself into a duck, and lay swimming in a lake that was just outside the palace. but the youth went down into the stable and asked dapplegrim what she had done with herself.

‘oh, all that you have to do is to take your gun, and go down to the water and aim at the duck which is swimming about there, and she will soon discover herself,’ said dapplegrim.

the youth snatched up his gun and ran to the lake. ‘i will just have a shot at that duck,’ said he, and began to aim at it.

‘oh, no, dear friend, don’t shoot! it is i,’ said the princess. so he had found her once.

the second time the princess changed herself into a loaf, and laid herself on the table among four other loaves; and she was so like the other loaves that no one could see any difference between them.

but the youth again went down to the stable to dapplegrim, and told him that the princess had hidden herself again, and that he had not the least idea what had become of her.

‘oh, just take a very large bread-knife, sharpen it, and pretend that you are going to cut straight through the third of the four loaves which are lying on the kitchen table in the king’s palace — count them from right to left — and you will soon find her,’ said dapplegrim.

so the youth went up to the kitchen, and began to sharpen the largest bread-knife that he could find; then he caught hold of the third loaf on the left-hand side, and put the knife to it as if he meant to cut it straight in two. ‘i will have a bit of this bread for myself,’ said he.

‘no, dear friend, don’t cut, it is i!’ said the princess again; so he had found her the second time.

and now it was his turn to go and hide himself; but dapplegrim had given him such good instructions that it was not easy to find him. first he turned himself into a horse-fly, and hid himself in dapplegrim’s left nostril. the princess went poking about and searching everywhere, high and low, and wanted to go into dapplegrim’s stall too, but he began to bite and kick about so that she was afraid to go there, and could not find the youth. ‘well,’ said she, ‘as i am unable to find you, you must show yourself; ‘whereupon the youth immediately appeared standing there on the stable floor.

dapplegrim told him what he was to do the second time, and he turned himself into a lump of earth, and stuck himself between the hoof and the shoe on dapplegrim’s left fore foot. once more the king’s daughter went and sought everywhere, inside and outside, until at last she came into the stable, and wanted to go into the stall beside dapplegrim. so this time he allowed her to go into it, and she peered about high and low, but she could not look under his hoofs, for he stood much too firmly on his legs for that, and she could not find the youth.

‘well, you will just have to show where you are yourself, for i can’t find you,’ said the princess, and in an instant the youth was standing by her side on the floor of the stable.

‘now you are mine!’ said he to the princess.

‘now you can see that it is fated that she should be mine,’ he said to the king.

‘yes, fated it is,’ said the king. ‘so what must be, must.’

then everything was made ready for the wedding with great splendour and promptitude, and the youth rode to church on dapplegrim, and the king’s daughter on the other horse. so everyone must see that they could not be long on their way thither.