The Blue Light

First edition, 1815

Final edition, 1857

The Blue Light

The Blue Light

Once upon a time there was a king who had a soldier as a servant.

Once upon a time there was a soldier who had served the king loyally for many long years.

When he became old and useless, the king sent him away, giving him nothing.

When the war was over and the soldier could no longer serve because of the many wounds he had received, the king said to him, "You can go home now. I no longer need you. There will be no more money for you, because wages are only for those who earn them."

Because he did not know how he could earn a living, he sadly walked the whole day long, coming to a forest in the evening.

Because the soldier did not know how he could earn a living, he sadly walked the whole day long, until he came to a forest in the evening.

After walking a little while he saw a light.

As darkness fell he saw a light.

He approached it and came to a little house, where a witch lived.

He approached it and came to a little house, where a witch lived.

He asked for a night's shelter and a little to eat and drink, but she refused him.

"Give me a night's shelter and a little to eat and drink," he said to her, "otherwise I will perish."

Finally she said, "But I will have pity and take you in after all. However, tomorrow you must dig up my entire garden."

"Oho!" she answered. "Who gives anything to a runaway soldier? But I will have pity and take you in after all, if you will do what I ask of you."

"What do you want?" asked the soldier.

"For you to dig up my garden tomorrow."

The soldier promised and was taken in. The next day he hoed up the witch's garden. The work lasted until evening, and then she wanted to send him away.

The soldier agreed, and the next day he worked with all his might, but could not finish before evening.

But he said, "I am so tired. Let me stay one more night here." At first she refused, but finally she agreed, if the next day he would split a stack of wood.

"I see," said the witch, "that you can do no more work today. I will take you in for one more night if tomorrow you will cut up and split a stack of wood for me."

The second day the soldier chopped the wood, and by evening he had worked so hard that he could not continue on his way, so he asked for a third night.

The soldier took the entire day to do this, and that evening the witch proposed that he remain a third night.

In return, the next day he was to get the blue light from her well.

"Tomorrow I have only a small task for you. Behind my house there is a dry well into which my light has fallen. It burns blue and never goes out. I want you to get it for me."

Then the witch led him to a well and tied him to a long rope, with which she lowered down.

The next day the old woman led him to the well and lowered him down it in a basket.

He found the blue light and gave the sign that she should pull him up again.

He found the blue light and gave a sign that she should pull him up again.

And she did pull him up, but when he was at the edge, so close that they could touch each other's hands, she wanted to have the light, and then to let him fall back down.

And she did pull him up, but when he was close to the edge, she wanted to take the blue light from him.

But he sensed her evil thoughts, and said, "No, I shall not give you the light until I am standing on the ground with my feet."

"No," he said, sensing her evil thoughts, "I shall not give you the light until I am standing on the ground with both feet."

Then the witch became angry and pushed him, together with the light, down into the well, and walked away

Then the witch became furious, let him fall back into the well, and walked away.

The soldier, down there in the dark, damp morass, was sad, for his end was near.

The poor soldier fell to the damp floor without being injured. The blue light continued to burn, but how could that help him? He saw that would not be able to escape death. He sadly sat there for a while.

Then he touched his pipe with his hand. It was still half full, and he thought, "Have one last pleasure, and smoke it empty." So he lit it with the blue light and began to smoke.

Then he happened to reach into his pocket and found his tobacco pipe, which was still half full. "This will be your last pleasure," he thought, pulled it out, lit it with the blue light, and began to smoke.

After the fumes had wafted about somewhat, a little black dwarf came up to him and asked, "Master, what do you command? I must serve you in every way."

After the fumes had wafted about the cavern, suddenly there stood before him a little black dwarf, who said, "Master, what do you command?"

"Above all else, help me out of this well."

"Why should I command you?" replied the bewildered soldier.

"I must do everything that you demand," said the dwarf."

"Good," said the soldier, "then first help me out of this well."

So the black dwarf took him by the hand and led him out, and they took the blue light with them.

The dwarf took him by the hand and led him through an underground passage, and he did not forget to take the blue light with him. Along the way he showed him the treasures that the witch had collected and hidden there, and the soldier took as much gold as he could carry.

When they were above ground, the soldier said, "Now strike the witch dead for me." As soon as the dwarf had done that, he showed him the witch's treasures and gold, which the soldier loaded up and took with him.

When he was above ground, he said to the dwarf, "Now go and bind the old witch and take her to the judge."

Not long afterward she came riding by on a tomcat as fast as the wind and screaming horribly. And not long after that the dwarf was back. "It is all taken care of," he said. "The witch is hanging on the gallows."

Then the dwarf said, "If you need me, just light your pipe with the blue light."

"Master, what do you command now?"

"Nothing at the moment," answered the soldier. "You can go home, but be ready when I call you."

"It is only necessary," said the dwarf, "for you to light your pipe with the blue light, and I will be with you."

With that he disappeared before his very eyes.

After that the solder went to the city and moved into the best inn. He had beautiful clothes made for himself and furnished his room magnificently.

The soldier returned to the city from which he had come. He moved into the best inn and had beautiful clothes made for himself. Then he told the innkeeper to furnish his room as luxuriously as possible.

When it was finished he summoned the black dwarf and said, "The king sent me away to starve, because I was no longer able to serve him. Bring his daughter to me this evening. She shall wait on me and do whatever I tell her to do."

When it was finished he summoned the black dwarf and said, "I served the king loyally, but he sent me away to starve. For this I now want revenge."

"What am I to do?" asked the little man.

"Late this evening, when the king's daughter is lying in bed, bring her here to me in her sleep. She shall do maid service for me."

The dwarf said, "That is a dangerous thing."

The dwarf said, "That is an easy thing for me, but a dangerous thing for you. If you are found out, it will not go well for you."

But still he went and got the king's daughter from her bed and brought her in her sleep to the soldier. She had to obey him and do whatever he wanted. In the morning before the cock crowed, the dwarf carried her back.

At the strike of twelve the door opened, and the dwarf carried the king's daughter in.

"Aha, is that you?" cried the soldier. "Get to work now! Go fetch the broom and sweep the room." When she was finished he called her to his chair, stuck his feet out at her, and said, "Pull off my boots," then threw them in her face, and she had to pick them up and clean them and make them shine. She did everything that he ordered her to do, without resisting, silently, and with half-closed eyes.

At the first cock's crow, the dwarf carried her to the royal palace and back to her bed.

After she had gotten up, she said to her father, "Last night I had an amazing dream. It was as though I were taken away, and became a soldier's maid, and had to wait on him."

The next morning, after the king's daughter had gotten up, she went to her father and told him that she had had an amazing dream. "I was carried away through the streets as fast as lightning and taken to a soldier's room. I had to serve as his maid and wait on him and do common work, sweep the room, and clean his boots. It was only a dream, but still I am as tired as if I had really done it all."

Then the king said, "Fill your pocket with peas and make a hole in it. The dream could be true, then they will fall out and leave a track on the street.

"The dream could have been true," said the king. "I will give you some advice. Fill your pocket with peas, then make a small hole in your pocket. If you are carried away again, they will fall out and leave a track on the street."

So she did just that, but the dwarf had heard what her father had advised her.

As the king was thus speaking, the dwarf was invisibly standing nearby and heard everything.

When evening came and the soldier told the dwarf to get the king's daughter once again, the dwarf scattered peas throughout the whole city, and the few that fell out of her pocket did not leave a track.

That night when he once again carried the sleeping princess through the streets, a few peas did indeed fall out of her pocket, but they did not leave a track, because the cunning dwarf had already scattered peas in all the streets. And once again the king's daughter had to do maid service until the cock crowed.

People spent the entire next day gathering peas.

The next morning the king sent his people out to look for the track, but it was to no end, for in all the streets there were poor children gathering peas and saying, "Last night it rained peas."

Once again the princess told her father what had happened to her, and he said, "Keep one shoe on and secretly hide it where you are."

"We must think of something else," said the king. "Leave your shoes on when you go to bed, and before you return from there, hide one of them. I will be sure to find it."

The black dwarf overheard this, and when the soldier again wanted the king's daughter brought to him, the dwarf said to him, "I can no longer help you. If you are caught, it will be your downfall."

The black dwarf overheard this proposal, and that evening when the soldier again wanted the king's daughter brought to him, the dwarf advised him against this, saying that he had no way to protect him against such trickery. If the shoe were to be found in his room, it would not go well with him.

But the soldier insisted.

"Then get yourself outside the city gate early tomorrow morning," said the dwarf, "as soon as I have carried her away."

"Do what I tell you," replied the soldier, and for a third night the king's daughter had to work like a maid.

Now the princess kept one shoe on and hid it in the soldier's bed.

But before she was carried back, she hid a shoe under the bed.

The next morning, after she was again with her father, he had the entire city searched for the shoe, and it was found in the soldier's room.

The next morning the king had the entire city searched for the shoe, and it was found in the soldier's room.

The soldier had fled, but they soon overtook him and threw him into a secure prison.

The soldier himself, following the little man's request, was already outside the city gate, but they soon overtook him and threw him into prison.

There he sat in bonds and chains, and in his haste to flee, he had forgotten to take along his most valuable things: the blue light and the gold. He had only one ducat.

In his haste, he had forgotten to take along his most valuable things: the blue light and the gold. He had only one ducat in his pocket.

Standing sadly at the window of his prison, he saw a comrade walking by.

Standing at the window of his prison and weighted down with chains, he saw one of his comrades walking by.

He called out to him, saying, "If you will bring me the little bundle that I left at the inn, I'll give you a ducat."

He knocked on the glass, and as he walked by, he said, "Be so good and bring me the little bundle that I left at the inn. I'll give you a ducat for it."

So for the ducat he went and brought him the blue light and the gold.

The comrade ran forth and brought back the desired things.

The prisoner immediately lit his pipe and summoned the black dwarf,

As soon as the soldier was alone again, he lit his pipe and summoned the black dwarf.

who said to him, "Have no fear. Go peacefully to the court and let everything happen, but take the blue light with you.

"Have no fear," he said to his master. "Just go where they lead you, and let everything happen, but take the blue light with you."

Then he was tried and sentenced to be hanged on the gallows.

The next day the soldier was tried, and although he had done nothing wrong, the judge still sentenced him to death.

As he was being led out, he asked the king for a wish.

As he was being led out, he asked the king for one last wish.

"What sort of a wish?" asked the latter.

"What sort of a wish?" asked the king.

"That I might smoke one more pipe on the way."

"That I might smoke one more pipe on the way."

"You can smoke three, if you want to," said the king.

"You can smoke three," answered the king, "but do not think that I will let you live."

Then he pulled out his pipe and lit it with the little blue flame.

Then the soldier pulled out his pipe and lit it with the blue light.

The black dwarf stepped immediately before him.

As soon as a few rings of smoke had risen, the dwarf was standing there.

"Strike everyone dead for me," said the soldier, "and the king into three pieces."

He had a cudgel in his hand and said, "What does my master command?"

"Strike the false judges and their henchmen to the ground for me. And don't spare the king either, who has treated me so badly."

Thus the dwarf set forth and struck dead the people all around.

Then the dwarf took off like lightning, zip-zap, back and forth, and everyone he even touched with his cudgel fell to the ground and did not dare to move.

The king begged for mercy, and in order to save his life, he gave to the soldier his kingdom as well as his daughter for a wife.

The king became afraid. He begged for mercy, and in order to save his life, he gave to the soldier his kingdom as well as his daughter for a wife.