The King had a daughter who was very beautiful, but she was also verystrange. She had made a vow to take no one as her lord and husbandwho did not promise to let himself be buried alive with her if she diedfirst. "If he loves me with all his heart," said she, "of what use willlife be to him afterwards?" On her side she would do the same, and ifhe died first, would go down to the grave with him. This strange oathhad up to this time frightened away all wooers, but the youth became socharmed with her beauty that he cared for nothing, but asked her fatherfor her. "But dost thou know what thou must promise?" said the King. "Imust be buried with her," he replied, "if I outlive her, but my loveis so great that I do not mind the danger." Then the King consented,and the wedding was solemnized with great splendour.
They lived now for a while happy and contented with each other, andthen it befell that the young Queen was attacked by a severe illness,and no physician could save her. And as she lay there dead, the youngKing remembered what he had been obliged to promise, and was horrified athaving to lie down alive in the grave, but there was no escape. The Kinghad placed sentries at all the gates, and it was not possible to avoidhis fate. When the day came when the corpse was to be buried, he was takendown into the royal vault with it and then the door was shut and bolted.
Near the coffin stood a table on which were four candles, four loaves ofbread, and four bottles of wine, and when this provision came to an end,he would have to die of hunger. And now he sat there full of pain andgrief, ate every day only a little piece of bread, drank only a mouthfulof wine, and nevertheless saw death daily drawing nearer. Whilst he thusgazed before him, he saw a snake creep out of a corner of the vaultand approach the dead body. And as he thought it came to gnaw at it,he drew his sword and said, "As long as I live, thou shalt not touchher," and hewed the snake in three pieces. After a time a second snakecrept out of the hole, and when it saw the other lying dead and cut inpieces, it went back, but soon came again with three green leaves in itsmouth. Then it took the three pieces of the snake, laid them together, asthey ought to go, and placed one of the leaves on each wound. Immediatelythe severed parts joined themselves together, the snake moved, and becamealive again, and both of them hastened away together. The leaves wereleft lying on the ground, and a desire came into the mind of the unhappyman who had been watching all this, to know if the wondrous power of theleaves which had brought the snake to life again, could not likewise beof service to a human being. So he picked up the leaves and laid one ofthem on the mouth of his dead wife, and the two others on her eyes. Andhardly had he done this than the blood stirred in her veins, rose intoher pale face, and coloured it again. Then she drew breath, opened hereyes, and said, "Ah, God, where am I?" "Thou art with me, dear wife,"he answered, and told her how everything had happened, and how he hadbrought her back again to life. Then he gave her some wine and bread,and when she had regained her strength, he raised her up and they wentto the door and knocked, and called so loudly that the sentries heardit, and told the King. The King came down himself and opened the door,and there he found both strong and well, and rejoiced with them that nowall sorrow was over. The young King, however, took the three snake-leaveswith him, gave them to a servant and said, "Keep them for me carefully,and carry them constantly about thee; who knows in what trouble theymay yet be of service to us!"
A change had, however, taken place in his wife; after she had beenrestored to life, it seemed as if all love for her husband had gone outof her heart. After some time, when he wanted to make a voyage overthe sea, to visit his old father, and they had gone on board a ship,she forgot the great love and fidelity which he had shown her, and whichhad been the means of rescuing her from death, and conceived a wickedinclination for the skipper. And once when the young King lay thereasleep, she called in the skipper and seized the sleeper by the head,and the skipper took him by the feet, and thus they threw him down intothe sea. When the shameful deed was done, she said, "Now let us returnhome, and say that he died on the way. I will extol and praise thee soto my father that he will marry me to thee, and make thee the heir tohis crown." But the faithful servant who had seen all that they did,unseen by them, unfastened a little boat from the ship, got into it,sailed after his master, and let the traitors go on their way. He fishedup the dead body, and by the help of the three snake-leaves which hecarried about with him, and laid on the eyes and mouth, he fortunatelybrought the young King back to life.
They both rowed with all their strength day and night, and their littleboat flew so swiftly that they reached the old King before the othersdid. He was astonished when he saw them come alone, and asked whathad happened to them. When he learnt the wickedness of his daughterhe said, "I cannot believe that she has behaved so ill, but the truthwill soon come to light," and bade both go into a secret chamber andkeep themselves hidden from every one. Soon afterwards the great shipcame sailing in, and the godless woman appeared before her father with atroubled countenance. He said, "Why dost thou come back alone? Where isthy husband?" "Ah, dear father," she replied, "I come home again in greatgrief; during the voyage, my husband became suddenly ill and died, and ifthe good skipper had not given me his help, it would have gone ill withme. He was present at his death, and can tell you all." The King said,"I will make the dead alive again," and opened the chamber, and badethe two come out. When the woman saw her husband, she was thunderstruck,and fell on her knees and begged for mercy. The King said, "There is nomercy. He was ready to die with thee and restored thee to life again,but thou hast murdered him in his sleep, and shalt receive the rewardthat thou deservest." Then she was placed with her accomplice in a shipwhich had been pierced with holes, and sent out to sea, where they soonsank amid the waves.
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