Northern mythology

293 NETHERLANDISH TRADITIONS.
On the spot where it stoocl^ a magnificent castle once
raised its lofty towers, but that was long, very long ago,
more than
seven hundred years having passed since that
time. In this castle dwelt a powerful knight, who had a
beautiful wdfc, but who was exceedingly haughty, and too
proud to associate with any person that was not, like herself,
noble. The knight had once ridden out, and when
evening came had not returned. In the mean time another
knight begged for admission into the castle, which
the lady readily granted, and let him come into her bedchamber.
There the stranger soon began w^th flattering
words to gain the lady^s favour, and at length told her,
that out in the forest he had met with an old man, who
loudly swore he would be revenged on her for having
driven him from the castle. He had also declared that he
was father to the lady of the castle, and that she w^as not
of noble blood, but that he had exchanged her for
a dead
child with her supposed father, while she w^as yet in the
cradle. With such and other discourses the stranger, who
called himself Brudemer, so instigated the woman, that
she hurried with him to the gate, and there stabbed her
father. They then hurried back into the castle, and sat
down to a game of chess.
After some time the door flew open, and the lord of
Clairmarais entered the apartment with looks of fury.
At the sight of him Brudemer burst into a loud laugh,
while the noble lady was ready to sink into the earth, and
grew deadly pale.
But the knight approaching her, cried
out, at the same time raising his sword "
: Let the devil
fetch thee, thou parricide, thou adulteress "
! But before
he could strike, Brudemer seized her by the head, saying :
''
I accept her,^^ and vanished with her accompanied by an
appalling clap of thunder.
Not until late on the following day did the knight
wake out of the state of stupefaction, into which these