Prevod

There was once a maiden who had not been born of a father and mother, but had been fashioned by fairies from snow taken out of a bottomless pit and set before the sun on St Elijah’s Day. The wind breathed life into her, the dew suckled her, the forest clothed her in leaves, and the meadow decked and adorned her with flowers. She was whiter than snow, rosier than a rose, brighter than the sun; her like had never been born into the world, nor ever would be. She sent word throughout the world that on such and such a day, at such and such a place, there would be a race, and that whichever young man could outrun her on horseback would have her for his own. Within a few days the news had spread all over the world, and thousands of suitors gathered on horses so fine that no one could say which was the finest. The emperor’s son himself came to the race. The maiden stood at the starting mark, and all the suitors lined up on horseback, while she stood among them with no horse, on her own two feet. Then she said to them, “I have placed a golden apple over yonder. Whoever reaches it first and takes it shall have me for his own. But if I reach it first and take it before you do, know that every one of you will fall dead upon that spot. So take good care what you do.” The horsemen all looked at one another, and each trusted that he would win the maiden, so they said among themselves, “We know for certain that she cannot outrun any of us on foot. One of us must win, and whichever it is, God and good fortune will favour him today.” And so, when the maiden clapped her hands, they all set off at once. By the time they were halfway there, the maiden had indeed drawn ahead, for she had spread a pair of little wings beneath her arms. At this they reproached one another, bent to the chase, and spurred their horses until they caught up with her. When she saw this, she plucked a hair from her head and cast it down, and that very instant a fearsome forest sprang up, so that the suitors could not tell where to turn or which way to go. Yet they made their way this way and that and followed her, though once more she had drawn far ahead. Again they spurred their horses and caught up with her. When the maiden saw she was in dire straits, she let fall a single tear, and at once mighty rivers burst forth, and all the suitors came close to drowning. None pursued the maiden any longer but the emperor’s son, who swam his horse after her. But when he saw that she had drawn away from him, he called upon her three times in God’s name to stop, and she stopped on the very spot where she stood. Then he caught hold of her, swung her onto his horse behind him, and swam to dry land. He set off home through the mountains, but when he reached the highest mountain, he looked behind him—and the maiden was gone.