Northern mythology

shavings.
NORTH GERMAN TRADITIONS. 37
These she was inclined to throw away instantly,
but her sweetheart desired her to keep them, as they would
serve to light the fire. On their way home the burthen
became so heavy that she threw away the half of it, and
when they reached the house the remainder proved to be
all bright ducats. Thereupon the young man ran back
for the purpose of gathering up all that had been thrown
away, but it had disappeared. They, however, got enough
to enable them to build a farm-house and be married, and
—
lived happily together for many years K
PINGEL IS DEAD !
In Jagel, near Sleswig, there was once a host who observed
with vexation that his beer always ran out too
fast, without his knowing how. But one day, when on
his way from the city, where he had been to fetch a fresh
supply, he heard, on passing the Jagelberg, where there
is a giant-grave, a voice crying in a tone of lamentation :
''
Pingel is dead ! Pingel is dead "
! On his return home
he related what he had heard to his wife, and had scarcely
uttered the words when a little underground man came
rushing out of the cellar, and crying :
Ach, is Pingel tot, is Pingel Ah, if Pingel 's dead, if Pingel 's
tot,
dead.
So hab ich liier Bier genug Then have I fetched beer enough,
geholt,
and then ran ofi". A jug was afterwards found in the
cellar standing by the beer-cask, which the little man had
left behind; for it was for the sick Pingel that he had
stolen the beer.
One version of the story has the name of Pippe instead of Pingel ;
ac-
1 The above version of the story is given in preference to one from
Swinemunde (Kuhn and Schwartz, p. 321), the latter containing some details
more characteristic of the good old times than delicate and edifying.
See also vol u. p. 132.