Once upon a time the heir of the King of Eirin shot a raven1, and when he saw it Iying dead on the snow he made a vow2 that he would seek all through the world for a maiden3 with hair like the raven's wing and cheeks like the raven's blood in the snow. So he travelled east and west, and north and south, looking for this maiden. One day he saw a number of people going into a place like a church, at the door of which a dead man was Iying; and he noticed with horror that the people just walked over the body. So he questioned a man as to why all the passers-by should do this terrible thing, and he was told: "Well, this is the reason. He is a man who did not pay his debts, and he will be left to lie there until someone does it for him."
"Oh well," said the King's son, "be the sum large or small I will pay it rather than see what I have seen."
So the dead man was buried, and the Prince paid his debts and went on his travels again.
He began to get very tired; and while he was looking about for a place in which to rest he saw a woebegone creature approaching him---a red-haired youth, bareheaded and barefooted, who came and asked him:
"Do you want a man-servant?"
"Indeed, I haven't the means enough to keep a man-servant," the Prince said. "I'm only wandering about looking for the lady who is to be my wife."
"Well," the young man said, "I won't be the one to ask much from you," and he pressed the Prince, who at last agreed to take him as his body-servant; and they went on their way together. Now, they found themselves approaching a large cave, and the man-servant said: "A giant lives in that cave and no one gets past him alive, but if you do as I say we may be able to trick him. Stay you here and pretend you are putting an army through its drill, and make as much noise as you can---as if there were many with you---while I go into the cave."
When he got to the cave entrance, there was the giant, licking his lips.
"Ha! I'm glad you have come, for I'm ravenous4 for fresh meat!" he roared.
"Wait, wait! You needn't be in all this hurry," the man-servant said, "for the son of the King of Eirin is out there with his army, and he has come to put an end to your life, Master Giant!"
And sure enough, when the giant looked out, there was the Prince at the corner, drilling away at men the giant supposed must be round the corner.
So he came back into his cave right quickly, and he said to the man-servant: "Och, och! but you're right, and I like this not! But listen to me: I've two brothers far worse than me that you must encounter yet. Now, if you will hide me under this great stone I'll give you a magic quilt that will make you invisible, and you can escape my brothers that way."
"All right, then," the man-servant said, and he took the quilt from the giant, who lifted the great stone in the cave and got himself into the hole.
And the man-servant rolled the stone over and let it down edgeways on the giant so that it ground him to powder!
Then he and the Prince filled their pockets with treasure that was in the cave and went on their way.
They soon came to great rocks and precipices6, and the man-servant told the Prince that there was another and bigger giant amongst those great rocks; and that he'd better do as before, and pretend to be drilling troops. And while the Prince was at his shouting and his ordering, the man-servant went on among the rocks and saw the second giant parading up and down.
"Ha, you have come!" he said. "I am without food, and I'm right glad to see you! You will at least make my dinner, and you might even make my supper as well; so I'll just go and sharpen my knife!"
"Have me or want me," said the fair man-servant, "but indeed it would be better for you to look out and see what you can see---the son of the King of Eirin drilling the troops he has brought to capture and kill you!"
Out rushed the giant, and he saw the young man drilling away with a great noise, at troops he supposed were just around the corner---and back he came in great trouble of mind.
"What am I to do, and where am I to hide?" he said.
"Well," the fair man-servant said, "I hid your brother yesterday, and he gave me an invisible quilt as a reward. Now what will you give me if I advise you also."
"I will give you a pair of shoes of quietness," the giant said, "and when you put them on no one will know you are walking near them at all. But if I do, will you promise to let me down to the foot of this cliff out of sight of the Prince and his army?"
The man-servant agreed, and he took the shoes of quietness; then he put a chain round the giant's middle and began to let him down the precipice5. And when he was just nearing the bottom he let the chain go, and the giant was dashed to pieces at the bottom of the rocks!
And then the Prince and the man-servant went to the giant's house and helped themselves to quantities of gold and silver and jewels before they went again on their travels.
And the road was smooth before them until they reached the place where the last and greatest giant lived. In front of it were five spikes8, on four of which were the heads of people the giant had killed.
A beautiful maiden came out of the house to meet them, and whenever he saw her the Prince knew that this was she whom he was seeking---the maiden with hair like the raven's wing and cheeks like the raven's blood on the snow; and his heart was singing for joy! In her hand was a spoon, and she told the Prince that he was going to be put to a test, and if he couldn't meet the giant with that spoon in his hand to-morrow morning at sunrise, then his head would occupy the fifth spike7!
"Then just give me the spoon," said the Prince.
"No, no," she said, "that is not the way the giant will have it. He would kill me if I did that!" And she went away to the seashore by herself and buried the spoon deep down among the sand. And the giant chuckled9 and laughed, for, said he:
"The sands of the seashore are miles long and miles wide, and who will know where to dig ? "
But the man-servant had put on his invisible quilt and his shoes of quietness, and had gone behind the maiden; so when she had gone away from the spot where the spoon was buried he just dug it up again and took it to the Prince.
And oh! the rage of the giant when the Prince met him at sunrise with the spoon in his hand!
He sulked all day, and at evening he thought of another test; and he took out a silver comb from the maiden's hair and said to the Prince:
"Unless you can replace that comb in the maiden's hair at sunrise your head will be on the fifth spike," and he went away to the shore to bury the comb himself this time.
Again the man-servant donned the invisible quilt and the shoes of quietness, and followed unseen and unheard; and again he dug where the giant had buried the comb and took it to the Prince. And when the Prince replaced the comb in the maiden's hair at sunrise the giant foamed10 at the mouth in his rage!
Then came the third night, and the Prince said to the maiden:
"Why will you be waiting on here with the giant? Come away with me and we will be married."
But she said with a sigh: "No, that cannot be, for I am under a spell and cannot leave this place unless someone will cut off the five heads and five necks of the giant; and who can ever do that?"
"Well," the Prince said, "let us ask this clever fellow of a man-servant of mine."
The man-servant said to her to go and tell the giant he was going to fight him, and she did so.
And the giant laughed, "Ho, ho!" and he laughed, "Hee, hee!" and he rolled with laughing, and took a mighty11 sword in his hand; but he didn't know that the man-servant was there in his invisible quilt and his shoes of quietness---until he felt a sword flashing about among his five heads; and then he cried, "Oh, oh!" instead of, "Ho, ho!" for he couldn't see his opponent. Off went head number one, and off went head number two, and so on, until all five heads were severed12 from the giant's five necks!
And the fair man-servant placed them on a string and slung13 them over his shoulder and carried them all to the Prince.
And now the King's son was able to marry the maiden with hair like the raven's wing and cheeks like the raven's blood on the snow; and they stayed on in the giant's house and enjoyed the wealth and the treasure of the three giants, and were very hap14
At the end of a year the fair man-servant came to the Prince and said he must now be leaving him- and the Prince said: "What reward will you take for all the fine service you have rendered me?"
"What reward will you give me?" said the man-servant.
"Whatever you choose to ask from me, even should you ask my wife herself," said the Prince.
I will not ask any reward or gift from you," the fair man-servant said, "nor will I ask your wife or your treasures. But do you remember the man whose debts you paid who was lying at the door of the church."
"I do that," said the Prince.
Then I am that man, and I came back to earth to pay my debt to you for bringing me to rest. The debt is now paid and I am wishful to return to the place from which I came to you: so fare you well, master, for ever!"
And where he had been standing15 there was now but a misty16 cloud! And they never saw the fair man-servant again, but they lived for many years to enjoy the wealth of the giants he had killed.
