|| A Scandinavian folklore ||
Once there was a wicked prince who was so spoilt that he always got whatever he wanted. His father, the old king, gave him everything he ever asked for. When he came of age, he fell in love with the wife of a blacksmith.
He plotted with his father to get rid of the blacksmith so that he could marry her. The king resisted but in the end, he had to agree, for he was his only son. The blacksmith was summoned.
The poor fellow was asked to built a castle on an nearby hill in a week’s time or lose his life.
It was an impossible task for anyone!
Thoroughly dejected, the blacksmith wandered in the woods. He came across an old woman who asked what was troubling him. She was the witch of the woods. He told her of the prince’s hardheartedness and asked for advise.
Then the old woman asked the blacksmith to build a new door for her hut, and in return she taught him the magic that he would need to finish the castle. When the prince saw the castle, he was amazed and angry.
He had to think of something more difficult this time.
Next the blacksmith was asked to dig a great moat around the new castle. The blacksmith was to build four bridges over the moat, with a gate for each one, and all that within three days now.
The blacksmith went straight to the old woman in the woods. She asked him to build a new roof for her hut and he did. Using the old woman’s magic, he completed building the moat and the bridges within three days. The prince and the king came to inspect.
The prince was furious but the king was shocked. He begged the prince to give up on this futile plan as the blacksmith seems to have some unknown powers.
The adamant prince was more determined than ever. He resolved to get rid of the blacksmith and marry his wife anyhow.
This time he asked his father to ask the blacksmith to build a ‘Himphamp’. ‘Get me a himphamp by tomorrow or get ready to lose your life’, commanded the king. The blacksmith doesn’t know what a ‘himphamp’ is or if it’s even a thing. More desperate than ever, he went to the old woman. She asked him to make a cauldron and a small iron pot.
She told him take the small iron pot home, cover it and place it on a heap of sand. “Make sure no one you care touches it. If anyone else does, whisper “hold fast”. You will soon see a himphamp”, she explained. The blacksmith did as he was told.
He placed the pot on a heap of sand and told his wife and mother-in-law not to touch the pot as it interfered with the process of ‘himphamp’ making.
Now, the mother-in-law was in secret collaboration with the prince. She felt a prince was better for her daughter than a common blacksmith. She relayed the news of the pot that contained the ‘himphamp’ to the prince.
The prince, determined to win anyhow this time, hid in the house waiting for the blacksmith and his wife to go bed.
Once they did, he stealthily crept up to the pot and was about to lift the lid.
The blacksmith happened to be awake and whispered, “hold fast”. The prince was stuck to the iron pot. As much as he tried to let go, he couldn’t. The mother-in-law heard the commotion and came running to help him, “Your highness, let me help”. The blacksmith whispered once again and the mother in law was stuck to the pot too.
She began crying. It was almost nearing dawn. Crying and screaming, they both went out of the house along with the pot. Two of the prince’s guards came to help and when the blacksmith whispered the words, they were stuck too. It was now four people with the pot.
A cow and a bull came, mistaking the guard’s feathery cap for hay. They were stuck too. The farmer to whom the cow and bull belonged came and stuck too. So did his wife and their dog.
It was daybreak now. The strange crowd of people and animals was moving in the streets, much to the shock and amusement of the public. The blacksmith followed few feet behind. Few more king’s guards and some people came to help and were stuck fast.
Now it was a party of people and animals. They at last reached the royal palace. The palace guards tried to help and were stuck as well. The king came out. He saw his son right in the middle of the party and the blacksmith some distance away.
He roared, “You imbecile! Whatever wizardry you have used, I command you to stop at once!”
The blacksmith replied, “I did as you asked, your highness. This is the himphamp, just as you asked”.
Outsmarted and his son humiliated, the king was beside himself now. He commanded his soldiers to capture the blacksmith and went to help his son. He too got stuck to the party.
When he realized there was nothing he could do, the king pleaded with the blacksmith. The blacksmith promised he would release everyone, but in return he asked for a carriage and some gold. Mounting it with his wife he said, “I will release, but you must promise never to look for us”. The king promised. The blacksmith left the kingdom with his wife making sure that no one followed him.
Once he was a safe distance away, he whispered “let go”. The himphamp broke, releasing everyone. The humiliated prince, outsmarted by a simple blacksmith, had learnt his lesson.
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