ous, until he
woke up. The bridegroom then asked his name; he replied that he was
called Ring, and was a King's son. In his youth he had lost his
mother, and in her place his father had married a witch, who had laid
a spell on him that he should turn into a dog, and never be released
from the spell unless a Prince of the same name as himself allowed him
to sleep at his feet the first night after his marriage. He added
further, 'As soon as she knew that you were my namesake she tried to
get you destroyed, so that you might not free me from the spell. She
was the hind that you and your companions chased; she was the woman
that you found in the clearing with the barrel, and the old hag that
we just now killed in the cave.'

After the feasting was over the two namesakes, along with other men,
went to the cliff and brought all the treasure home to the Palace.
Then they went to the island and removed all that was valuable from
it. Ring gave to his namesake, whom he had freed from the spell, his
sister Ingiborg and his father's kingdom to look after, but he himself
stayed with his father-in-law the King, and had half the kingdom while
he lived and the whole of it after his death.

THE SWINEHERD

There was once a poor Prince. He possessed a kingdom which, though
small, was yet large enough for him to marry on, and married he wished
to be.

Now it was certainly a little audacious of him to venture to say to
the Emperor's daughter, 'Will you marry me?' But he did venture to say
so, for his name was known far and wide. There were hundreds of
princesses who would gladly have said 'Yes,' but would she say the
same?

Well, we shall see.

On the grave of the Prince's father grew a rose-tree, a very beautiful
rose-tree. It only bloomed every five years, and then bore but a
single rose, but oh, such a rose! Its scent was so sweet that when you
smelt it you forgot all your cares and troubles. And he had also a
nightingale which could sing as if all the beautiful melodies in the
world were shut up in its little throat. This rose and this
nightingale the Princess was to have, and so they were both put into
silver caskets and sent to her.

The Emperor had them brought to him in the great hall, where the
Princess was playing 'Here comes a duke a-riding' with her
ladies-in-waiting. And when she caught sight of the big caskets which
contained the presents, she clapped her hands for joy.

'If only it were a little pussy-cat!