Witch Fairy Tales

1. Isbourne and Witch Fairy Tales

Once upon a time, there was a young man who wanted to find a place to work. On the way, he met a man who asked him where he was going. He told the man in detail that he wanted to find a place to work. The stranger said, "You can be my servant. I want a young man like you, and I will pay you well -- one ear in the first year, two in the second, and three in the third. You'll have to wait on me for three years, and you'll listen to everything I say, no matter how strange the assignment. Don't be afraid to be my servant. You won't be in any danger as long as you do what I tell you."

They reached an agreement, and the young man went home with the man who had hired him. It was a strange place indeed, for he lived on a sandbar in the middle of a forest, and the lad could see no one but his master. His master was a giant who had magical powers over men and beasts.

The next day, the young man went to work. The first thing the giant asked him to do was to feed all the wild animals in the forest. The animals were tied up by the giant, wolves, bears, deer, hares, and so on, and adopted by the giant into a barn under the ground. The corral was a mile long. The young man did all the work well, and the giant praised him, saying that he had done well.

The third morning the giant said to the young man, "Don't feed the animals today. They don't have to feed them like that every day. You can go out and play for a while today and come back when it's time to feed them."

Then the giant said something to him that he did not understand, and the lad changed into a hare and ran away into the woods. He ran for a long time, for all the hunters aimed at him and wanted to shoot him. And the hounds, whenever they caught his scent, came barking after him. He was the only free animal in the wood. All the others were locked up by the giants, so every hunter was eager to kill him. But even then, they didn't1. Isbourne and Witch Fairy Tales

Once upon a time, there was a young man who wanted to find a place to work. On the way, he met a man who asked him where he was going. He told the man in detail that he wanted to find a place to work. The stranger said, "You can be my servant. I want a young man like you, and I will pay you well -- one ear in the first year, two in the second, and three in the third. You'll have to wait on me for three years, and you'll listen to everything I say, no matter how strange the assignment. Don't be afraid to be my servant. You won't be in any danger as long as you do what I tell you."

They reached an agreement, and the young man went home with the man who had hired him. It was a strange place indeed, for he lived on a sandbar in the middle of a forest, and the lad could see no one but his master. His master was a giant who had magical powers over men and beasts.

The next day, the young man went to work. The first thing the giant asked him to do was to feed all the wild animals in the forest. The animals were tied up by the giant, wolves, bears, deer, hares, and so on, and adopted by the giant into a barn under the ground. The corral was a mile long. The young man did all the work well, and the giant praised him, saying that he had done well.

The third morning the giant said to the young man, "Don't feed the animals today. They don't have to feed them like that every day. You can go out and play for a while today and come back when it's time to feed them."

Then the giant said something to him that he did not understand, and the lad changed into a hare and ran away into the woods. He ran for a long time, for all the hunters aimed at him and wanted to shoot him. And the hounds, whenever they caught his scent, came barking after him. He was the only free animal in the wood. All the others were locked up by the giants, so every hunter was eager to kill him. But even then, they didn't