Foreign Tales and Traditions/Volume 1/Legends of Rubezahl/How Rubezahl changed himself into an Ass

by Johannes Praetorius, edited by Johann Gustav Gottlieb Büsching

For other English-language translations of this work, see Rübezahl verwandelt sich in einen Esel.

No. V. HOW RUBEZAHL CHANGED HIMSELF INTO AN ASS.

A glazier was once travelling across the mountain with a heavy load of glass upon his back; long and sore had the poor man toiled beneath his burden, and being now ready to sink beneath it, he was looking around him for a place where he might rest himself. Rubezahl—ever on the lookout for adventures—soon espied the way-worn traveller, and instantly transformed himself into a log of wood, which the glazier no sooner perceived lying on the ground before him than he hastened to rest himself upon it. But scarcely had he got himself comfortably seated, and stretched out his weary limbs, than away rolled the log from beneath him, and the poor glazier found himself upset, and all his frame of glass shivered into a thousand pieces.

With some difficulty he got upon his legs again, but the false log was no longer to be seen. The poor man was sore grieved on account of his loss, and gazed upon the broken fragments of glass which lay strewed around till tears filled his eyes. Then appeared Rubezahl, in the form of a traveller, who asked the glazier what ailed him; whereupon the latter told all that had befallen him,—how long and sore he had toiled—and how the false log had slipped from beneath him,—and with many sighs he added that he was now a ruined man for he had thus lost all his little stock in trade to the value of eight thalers. The mountain-spirit, who is, upon the whole, of a generous disposition, was touched by the honest fellow’s simple story, and confessed that he himself had played him the trick for a little diversion. “But,” added he, “I will more than remunerate thee for thy loss and vexation.”

Rubezahl in a moment transformed himself into a jackass, and directed the glazier to lead him down to a mill, which lay at the foot of the mountain, and there to offer him for sale to the miller, which the poor man did and soon sold him to the miller for ten thalers, with which he took his way home, right glad at heart. Meanwhile the miller’s boy led his master’s new purchase into the stable, and placed a bundle of hay before him; but the ass opened his mouth and said: “I do not want hay; give me something roasted or baked.” The boy was amazed at hearing an ass speak, and ran out of the stable, roaring to his master that the new ass could speak. But when the miller entered the stable himself, behold there was no ass there! Thus did Rubezahl do a piece of service to a poor but honest man; and punish the miller who filched his neighbour’s flour.

 

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