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Updated: May 25, 2025
Once on a time there was a King who had seven sons. Six of them were stout, brave lads, but the youngest was the cinderlad, you must know; and he went about by himself neither saying nor doing much. Best of all he liked to sit by the hearth and watch the glowing cinders, so they called him Boots, and thought little of him.
'Oh, very well, if thou art absolutely determined to have thy back flayed, thou may'st have thine own way if thou wilt, said the King. 'I would much rather have the Princess, said Cinderlad. Next morning, in the grey light of dawn, the Master of the Horse let out the seven foals again, and off they set over hill and dale, through woods and bogs, and off went Cinderlad after them.
'What I when all went so ill with us, do you suppose that you are going to succeed? You look like succeeding you who have never done anything else but lie and poke about among the ashes! said they. 'Yes, I will go too, said Cinderlad, 'for I have taken it into my head.
It was all but dark when they got back to the King at nightfall, and he himself was standing in the courtyard waiting for them. 'Hast thou watched well and faithfully the whole day? said the King to Cinderlad. 'I have done my best, replied Cinderlad. 'Then thou canst tell me what my seven foals eat and drink? asked the King.
So they went on a great distance farther. 'And now? inquired the Foal, 'seest thou nothing now? 'Alas! no, said Cinderlad. So they travelled onwards again, for many and many a mile, over hill and dale. 'Now, then, said the Foal, 'dost thou not see anything now? 'Yes, said Cinderlad; 'now I see something like a bluish streak, far, far away.
The two brothers laughed at him, and his father and mother begged him not to go, but all to no purpose, and Cinderlad set out on his way. So when he had walked the whole day, he too came to the King's palace as darkness began to fall. There stood the King outside on the steps, and he asked whither he was bound. 'I am walking about in search of a place, said Cinderlad.
But when the priest had laid his hands on the princes and read the blessing, they went out of the church again, and Cinderlad went out too, but he took with him a flask of wine and some consecrated bread.
So when the youth got home again he too related all that had happened to him, and he too said that he had gone out in search of a place once, but that never would he do it again. On the third day Cinderlad wanted to set out. He had a fancy to try to watch the seven foals himself, he said. The two others laughed at him, and mocked him.
When he had run thus for a long time, he too came to the cleft in the rock. There the old hag was once more sitting spinning from her distaff, and she cried to Cinderlad; 'Come hither, come hither, my handsome son, and let me comb your hair for you. 'Come to me, then; come to me! said Cinderlad, as he passed by jumping and running, and keeping tight hold of one of the foals' tails.
'That is a river, said the Foal, 'and we have to cross it. There was a long, handsome bridge over the river, and when they had got to the other side of it they again travelled on a long, long way, and then once more the Foal inquired if Cinderlad saw anything. Yes, this time he saw something that looked black, far, far away, and was rather like a church tower.
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