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The Goose-herding Granny

17 January, 2025

Once upon a time, there lived an old woman with her geese in a secluded spot deep in the mountains. She lived in a small house surrounded by a large forest. Every morning, she hobbled into the forest with her cane. She had many chores to do, which seemed like a lot for someone her age: foraging grass for her geese, picking wild berries within reach, and carrying them all back home. It looked like she was carrying a heavy load that would make her collapse, but fortunately, she always managed to bring everything back home.

She greeted everyone she met cheerfully: “Good day, my fellow villagers. What a beautiful day! You must be surprised to see an old woman like me gathering grass, but we all have our burdens to bear.”

However, the villagers did not like encountering her, and they often took a longer route to avoid her. When a father and his son passed by, the father whispered to his son, “Be wary of that old woman. She’s cunning and a witch.”

One morning, a handsome young man walked through the forest. It was a sunny day, the birds were chirping merrily, and a gentle breeze blew through the leaves, filling his heart with joy. He didn’t meet anyone until he spotted an old witch cutting grass with a sickle. She had already filled her bag and had two baskets full of plums and wild apples.

“How will you manage to carry all that?” he asked.

“I have to, young man,” she replied. “Unlike the rich, I have to work for my living. But as the farmers say, ‘Don’t look around in vain! The human back is meant to be bent.'”

He stood by her, and she asked, “Would you help an old woman, young man? It’s easy for you with your strong back and sturdy legs. My house is not far from here, just beyond that mountain. You can run there in no time.”

The young man felt sorry for the old woman and replied, “I am not a farmer, but a count. Nonetheless, let me help you carry that bag.”

“If you insist on helping, that would be wonderful,” she said. “It will take about an hour to get there, but it’s nothing for you. Please carry the apples and plums as well!”

Hearing that it would take an hour made the young count hesitate, but the old woman wouldn’t let him go. She tied the bag to his back, hung the baskets on his arms, and said, “You see, it’s easy!”

The count replied, grimacing, “No, it’s not! This bag feels like it’s filled with rocks, and the fruits are heavy, too. I can barely breathe!”

He wanted to put everything down, but the old woman wouldn’t let him. She mocked him, “Look at you! A strong young man can’t carry what an old woman like me has carried many times. You talk a big game, but when it comes to action, you shy away.”

“Don’t just stand there!” she continued. “Keep walking, and don’t expect anyone to carry your load for you.”

The count could manage on level ground, but when they started climbing the mountain, he had to scramble over rocks, and it felt like his feet were alive. Sweat poured down his forehead and back, and he alternated between feeling hot and cold. “Old woman,” he pleaded, “I can’t go on. Let me rest for a moment.”

“No rest until we get there,” she replied. “Keep going. It might do you some good.”

“You insolent witch!” he exclaimed.

He wanted to throw away the bag, but it was stuck to his back as if it had grown there. He twisted and turned, but he couldn’t get free. The old woman laughed and danced on her cane, enjoying his predicament. “Don’t be angry, young man,” she said. “Your face is as red as a fighting cock’s. Keep carrying the load, and I’ll reward you when we get to my house.”

The count had no choice but to accept his fate and endure the burden. The old woman seemed to get lighter, but the load on his back felt heavier. Suddenly, she jumped, and he felt her sitting on the bag. Though she was skinny as a fence post, she felt heavier than a stout peasant woman.

The young man staggered, but if he didn’t keep going, the old woman would hit his legs with her cane and a branch of thorns. He kept complaining, climbing the mountain until he was about to collapse. Finally, they reached her house, where her geese honked and stretched their necks, running to greet her and squawking noisily. A sturdy, ugly woman, as old as the hills, followed the geese with a stick in her hand. She asked the old woman, “Mother, what took you so long?”

“Don’t worry, daughter,” the old woman replied. “Nothing bad happened. Instead, this young man helped me carry my load. And when I got tired, he even carried me on his back. So the journey didn’t seem long, and we joked and laughed along the way.”

After a while, the old woman got off his back, took the bag and baskets from him, and said kindly, “Now, young man, rest on that bench by the door. You deserve a good reward, and you shall have it.”

Then she told the goose herder, “Go inside, daughter. It’s not proper for you to be alone with this young man. He might fall in love with you.”

The count didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He thought to himself, “She’s so old that even if she were thirty years younger, she wouldn’t make my heart flutter.” Meanwhile, the old woman petted the geese as if they were her children and went into the house with her daughter. The young man lay down on the bench under an apple tree. The air was mild and warm, and the grass around him was green and lush, filled with daisies, buttercups, and hundreds of other flowers. A clear stream sparkled in the moonlight, flowing nearby. The white geese wandered about or splashed in the water. He thought, “It’s so beautiful here, but I’m so tired. My eyes are closing. I’ll just rest for a moment, as long as no wind blows my feet away, for they feel like cotton wool.”

He slept for a while, and the old woman came to wake him. She said, “Get up, young man. You can’t stay here, although I’ve made you work hard, and it hasn’t killed you. Now I’ll give you your reward. You don’t need money or riches, so I’ll give you something else.” She handed him a small box made of a single piece of green jade and instructed him, “Keep this box safe, and it will bring you good fortune.”

The count stood up, feeling refreshed and strong. He thanked the old woman and set off on his journey, without even a backward glance at her beautiful daughter. He walked for three days through the wild forest before finding his way to a large city. No one there knew him.

People led him to the palace, where the king and queen were holding court. The count knelt and took the jade box from his pocket, placing it at the queen’s feet. She ordered him to stand and, as he did, opened the box. Then she fainted and fell to the floor.

The count was seized by the guards, who intended to throw him into the dungeon. But the queen opened her eyes and ordered them to release him. She dismissed everyone and wanted to speak to him alone. When they were by themselves, the queen wept bitterly and said, “What good is wealth and luxury to me when I wake up anxious and worried every morning? I have three daughters, and the youngest is the most beautiful. People say she’s a wondrous creature. Her skin is as white as snow, her cheeks as red as apples, and her hair shines like the sun. When she cries, her tears are not ordinary drops but pearls and precious stones. When she turned fifteen, the king summoned his three daughters before his throne. You can’t imagine how the courtiers stared when the youngest entered.

“It was like the sun rising. The king said, ‘My dear children, I don’t know when I will die. Today, I want to decide what each of you will receive after my death. You all love me, but whoever loves me the most will get the most precious gift.’ Each daughter claimed to love him the most. The king asked, ‘How much do you love me? Tell me, and I will understand your love.’ The eldest said, ‘I love you like the sweetest sugar.’ The second said, ‘I love you like my most beautiful dress.’ But the youngest was silent.

“The king asked, ‘Well, child, how much do you love me?’ She replied, ‘I don’t know how to compare my love.’ But the king insisted that she find a comparison. Finally, she said, ‘The most delicious food without salt is tasteless to me. So, Father, I love you like salt.’ The king was furious and said, ‘If you love me like salt, I will reward your love with salt.’ He divided his kingdom between the two eldest daughters and ordered that a bag of salt be tied to the youngest’s back. Then he sent her into the wild forest with two servants.”

“I begged and pleaded,” the queen continued, “but the king wouldn’t relent. Alas! How my poor child wept as she left us. Along the way, she wept so much that pearls and jewels fell from her eyes. After a while, the king regretted his harshness and sent people to search for her in the forest, but no one found her.

“I thought she might have been devoured by wild beasts, and I grieved. Sometimes, I consoled myself with the hope that she might still be alive, hiding in a cave or finding refuge with someone kind. Can you imagine how I felt when I opened your jade box and found a jewel like the tears my child shed? You must tell me how you got this jewel.”

The count told the queen about the old woman in the forest, who seemed suspicious and was probably a witch. He had never heard of the princess or seen her. The king and queen decided to go and find the old woman, thinking that where there was jade, there might also be news of their daughter.

The old woman sat outdoors on the heath, spinning by her bed. It was dark, and a burning log in the fireplace lit the room faintly. Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, and the geese returned home from the meadow, honking loudly. Soon after, a woman entered. The old woman didn’t greet her but merely nodded.

The woman sat down next to her mother and began spinning quickly, as skillfully as a young girl. They sat like that for two hours without exchanging a word. Finally, there was a slight noise at the window. Then two fiery eyes peered in. It was an owl, which hooted three times.

“Daughter,” the old woman said, “it’s time for you to go to work.”

The woman left and walked across the meadow to the valley. She went to a stream where three ancient oaks grew on the bank. Meanwhile, the full moon had risen above the mountains, shining so brightly that one could find the smallest needle. She took off the leather mask from her face and washed it in the stream. Then she laid the mask on the grass to dry and bleach in the moonlight.

Suddenly, she transformed. Her gray hair fell out, and golden locks tumbled down like sunshine, covering her whole body like a cloak. Her eyes shone like stars, and her cheeks were rosy and smooth as apple blossoms. But the beautiful woman was sad, and she sat by the stream, weeping bitterly. Her tears fell on her long hair and dripped onto the ground.

She sat there until there was a rustling in a nearby tree. It was a deer startled by the sound of her weeping. Just then, the moon was covered by clouds, and she quickly put the leather mask back on, jumped up like a roe deer, and ran away. The moonlight revealed her to be the ugly goose herder again.

She ran home, where her mother stood at the door. She wanted to tell her mother what had happened, but the old woman smiled kindly and said, “I know everything, daughter.”

She led her daughter inside and lit another log in the fireplace but didn’t sit down to spin. Instead, she took a broom and swept the room meticulously. She told her daughter, “Everything must be spotless and clean.”

The daughter asked, “Mother, why are you doing this now? Why are you starting so late? What are you planning to do?”

“Don’t you know what time it is?” the old woman replied.

“It’s not yet midnight, but it’s past eleven,” the daughter said.

“Three years ago, on this very day, you came to me,” the old woman said. “Your time is up, and we can’t stay together any longer.”

The daughter was terrified and pleaded, “Mother, don’t leave me! Where will I go? I have no friends, no home. To whom can I turn? I’ve done everything you asked, and I’ve never disobeyed you. Please don’t send me away!”

The old woman didn’t want to tell her daughter what was about to happen. She said, “I can’t stay here any longer, but before I leave, the house must be clean. So don’t disturb me while I work. As for you, don’t worry. You’ll find a place to live, and I’ll pay you well for your service.”

The daughter asked, “But mother, tell me what’s going to happen.”

“I’ve told you once, don’t bother me while I work,” the old woman said. “Go to your room, take off that leather mask, put on the silk dress you wore when you came to me, and wait there until I call you.”

Now, let me tell you about the king, queen, and count, who set out to find the old woman in the heath. At night, in the forest, the count got lost and had to spend the night in a tree to avoid getting lost further. As the moon rose and illuminated the forest, he saw a figure walking pensively down the mountain. It was the goose herder, without her stick, and the count recognized her. He exclaimed, “There’s the witch! If I catch her, I’ll also find the other one.”

He was amazed when she reached the stream, took off her leather mask, and revealed her golden hair. In his life, he had never seen anyone so beautiful. He held his breath and craned his neck to watch, forgetting himself. Perhaps he leaned too far, or something else happened, but suddenly, the branch he was sitting on cracked, and at that moment, the girl put the leather mask back on and jumped away like a roe deer as the moon was covered by clouds.

She had just disappeared when the count climbed down and hurried after her. He walked for a while and soon saw two figures in the moonlight walking across the meadow. It was the king and queen, who had also seen the light in the old woman’s window and were now approaching the house.

The count told them about the strange things he had seen by the stream, and they were sure it was their lost daughter. They were overjoyed and continued on their way without delay. They soon reached the small house, where the geese lay asleep, their heads tucked under their wings, not one of them stirring. They looked through the window and saw the old woman sitting quietly, spinning, her head nodding.

The inside of the house was as clean as a home in the outside world, and not a speck of dust could be found. But they didn’t see the daughter anywhere. They knocked gently on the window, and the old woman stood up, greeting them cheerfully: “Come in, I know who you are.”

When they entered, she said, “If you hadn’t treated your loving daughter so unfairly three years ago, you wouldn’t have had to travel so far. Still, you’ve been punished enough for your cruelty. You’ve lived in fear all this time.”

She went to the next room and called, “Daughter, come out.”

The door opened, and the princess entered, wearing a silk dress, her golden hair shining, and her eyes sparkling. She ran to her parents and embraced them, kissing them. Of course, they all wept for joy. The young count stood by, and when the princess saw him, her cheeks turned as red as roses, though she didn’t know why.

“My dear child,” the king said, “what can I give you now that I’ve given away my kingdom?”

“You don’t need to give her anything,” the old woman said. “I’ve given her the tears she cried for you, and they are more precious than pearls and jewels, more valuable than all your kingdom. As a reward for her service, I’m giving her this small house.”

As she finished speaking, she disappeared. There was a slight explosion on the wall, and they looked around to see the small house transformed into a magnificent castle, with a royal feast laid out and servants scurrying about.

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