Foreign Tales and Traditions/Volume 1/Legends of Rubezahl/How Rubezahl punished a tyrannical Lord

by Johannes Praetorius, edited by Johann Gustav Gottlieb Büsching

For other English-language translations of this work, see Rübezahl narrt einen Junker.

No. VI. HOW RUBEZAHL PUNISHED A TYRANNICAL LORD.

In the year 1512, a certain cruel and unjust nobleman had commanded one of his peasants, on pain of incurring his severe displeasure, to remove a very great load of trees from a wood to his castle-yard. The poor peasant saw at once that his waggon and team was quite unfit for the work, and so he took his way through the wood in great distress of mind, knowing that his lord would not fail to punish him as he had threatened. But as he went along, Rubezahl suddenly stood before him at a turning of the road, in the disguise of a stout working man, and inquired at him the cause of his many heavy sighs; so the peasant told him the whole matter, and how it stood with him and his lord. Then Rubezahl bade him be of good cheer, for he would transport the load for him to the knight’s castle, and the peasant went home with a lightened heart.

No sooner was the peasant gone than Rubezahl set to work, and in a short time had got all the huge trees bound together in one bundle, which he slung upon his back as easily as one would do an ordinary faggot; and away he went whistling right cheerily under his enormous burden. When he came to the nobleman’s castle he threw down the whole in the court, in such a manner that no one could obtain entrance to or outlet from the house. Therefore was the unjust nobleman compelled to make a new road and build a new gate to his castle, at a great expense; and thus did Rubezahl punish him for his cruelty and oppression.

 

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