Sidonia the Sorceress V1

her, the Duchess, in favour of Sidonia-Item, of the

e suddenly entered his mother's apartment, where she and her maidens were spinning, and asked her if she remembered anything about a Laplander with a drum, w

the girls who milked the cows, a great storm arose, and drove him out into the wide sea, which was a terrible misfortune to him. But your father told him in Swedish, which language the knave knew, that it had been better to prophesy his own destiny. To which he rep

renzied; so that it was evident to see the spirit was working within him. Then he fell down like o

was burned, and your poor father had a rib broken in consequence. Would that I had been the rib broken for him, so that he might still rei

as if taken suddenly ill. Then she prayed the Duchess

a languid attitude upon a seat in the corridor, just where she knew Prince Ernest must pass, and leaned her head upon he

, what has

cannot go on to my little apartment. I kn

what, dea

ill. I know Luther's Catechism quite well" (this was a falsehood, we know), "but that does not satisfy him, and if I cannot repeat it

wing her arm within his, supported her to her chamber. On the way she pressed his hand repeatedly; but with each pressu

saying, "Leave me-ah! leave me, gracious Prince. I must creep to my bed; and in the m

he had left waiting in the courtyard, he rushed over the drawbridge, up

s indignant a

n." At last, however, upon the entreaties of Prince Ernest, he consented to defer her examination for

s fair, sinful beauty, who would delude him as she had done all the

idonia was amongst them, as merry and lively as if nothing had ailed her. When the Prince expressed his surprise, she said, that finding herself much re

e course of the sun; that is, the pectines, fibr?, and line? in the annual rings of the wood must wind from right to left. Having hollowed out such a tree, they spread a skin over it, fastened down with little pegs; and on the centre of the skin is painted the sun, surrounded by figures of men, beasts, birds, and fishes, along with Christ and the holy Apostles. All this is done with the rind of the elder-tree, chewed first beneath their teeth. Upon the top of the drum there is an index in the shape of a triangle, from which hang a number of little rings and c

t carefully from him. So after he had danced, and screamed, and twisted his face so horribly that half the women fainted, and foamed and raged until the demon seemed to have taken full possession of him, he fell down, and then every one put questions to him, to which

ne; and so, forgetting the admonitions of the D

ou would live long and h

f what

me her, for sh

er, only laughed, and advancing asked, "What dost thou prophesy to me?" But immediately

who murmured, "Now every one must acknowledge her beauty, when even this son of Satan feel

he angrily dismissed the crowd, and sending for the executioner, ordered the

efore)-"Listen, Ulrich! I will prophesy something to thee: if it comes not to pass, then punish me; b

t the wizard cried out-"Ulrich, this da

end to the cellar to fetch him some of the Italian wine for which you wrote, and which arrived yesterday; a step of the stairs

uick! saddle the best racer in the stables, and ride for life to Spantekow, for it may be as he has prophe

edwig, they said, "She is in the cellar." So no misfortune had happened then; but as they waited and she appeared not, they descen

t Prince Ernest hindered him, saying, "It is more knightly, Ulrich, to keep your word than to cool your vengeance." So the

hat he had discovered a secret; but as the prophecy of

give up the maiden Sid

ture were filled with fear when they saw him change the wind at his pleasure to suit himself; for he pulled out a string full of knots, and having swung it about, murmuring incantations, all the vanes on the towers creaked and whirled right about, all the wi

th a fair wind, singing loudly, "Jooike Duara! Jooike Duara!" [Footnote: This is the beginning of a magic rhyme, chanted even b