The Well at the World’s End (A Scottish Folk-Tale)

There was once a King and a Queen. The King had a daughter and the Queen had a daughter. The King’s daughter was good-natured and everybody liked her. The Queen’s daughter was ill-natured and nobody liked her. The Queen hated the King’s daughter and did not want her to live with them. So she sent her to the Well at the World’s End to bring her a bottle of water, thinking that she would never return.

The King’s daughter took a bottle and went away. Far she went, till she came to a pony tied to a tree, and the pony said to her:

“Free me, my little girl, for I haven’t been free for seven years and a day.”

“Yes, I will free you,” said the King’s daughter.

“Jump on my back,” said the pony, “and I’ll carry you over the moor of sharp thorns.”

The pony took her over the moor of sharp thorns and they parted. She went far, and far, and farther than I can tell, till she came to the Well at the World’s End.

The Well was very deep, and she couldn’t take water out of it. As she was looking down, she saw three scaly men’s heads. They looked up at her, and said:

“Wash us, our little girl, and dry us with your clean apron.”

“Yes, I’ll wash you,” she said.

She washed the three scaly heads, and dried them with her clean apron. Then the creatures took her bottle and brought the water for her. The three scaly men’s heads said to each other:

“Wish, brother, wish! What will you wish?”

“If she was nice before, she’ll be ten times nicer now,” said the first.

“Every time she speaks, there will drop a ruby, a diamond and a pearl out of her mouth,” said the second.

“Every time she combs her hair, she’ll comb a piece of gold and a piece of silver out of it,” said the third.

The King’s daughter went home, and if she had been nice before, she was ten times nicer now. Each time she spoke, a ruby, a diamond and a pearl dropped from her mouth. Each time she combed her hair, she combed a piece of gold and a piece of silver out of it.

The Queen was so angry, she didn’t know what to do. She decided to send her own daughter to the Well at the World’s End. She gave her a bottle and sent her to fill it with the water from the well.

The Queen’s daughter went on and on till she came to the pony tied to the tree, and the pony said:

“Free me, my little girl, for I haven’t been free for seven years and a day.”

“Oh, you stupid creature, do you think I’ll free you?” she said. “I am the Queen’s daughter.”

“I’ll not carry you, then, over the moor of sharp thorns,” said the pony.

So the Queen’s daughter had to go on her bare feet, and the thorns cut her. She could hardly walk at all.

She went far, and far, and farther than I can tell, till she came to the Well at the World’s End. But the Well was so deep, that she couldn’t take water out of it. As she sat there three men’s heads looked up at her and said:

“Wash us, our little girl, and dry us with your clean apron.”

“Oh, you horrid creatures, do you think I am going to wash you?” she said. “I am the Queen’s daughter.”

She did not wash their heads, and so they did not bring water for her. They said to each other:

“Wish, brother, wish! What will you wish?”

“If she was ugly before, she’ll be ten times uglier now,” said the first.

“Every time she speaks, there will drop a frog out of her mouth,” said the second.

“Every time she combs her hair, she’ll comb a peck of lice and a peck of fleas out of it,” said the third.

So the Queen’s daughter went home with an empty bottle.

Nobody can tell how angry the Queen was. If her daughter had been ugly before,1 she was ten times uglier now, and when she spoke, a frog dropped from her mouth. When she combed her hair, a peck of lice and a peck of fleas were combed out of it.

So the Queen had to send her daughter away from the Court.