Page:Lippincotts Monthly Magazine-42.djvu/444

 434 OUR ONE HUNDRED QUESTIONS.

Queen of Spain having legs.” 1t is said that Mirabeau, when offered a petition to be laid at the feet of majesty, replied, “ Majesty has no feet.”

Mary Andrews” has another story to tell in explanation of the proverb :

This saying probably arose from the strict court etiquette of Spain, which forbade any man whatsoever on pain of death to touch the queen of Spain, and especially foot. The queen of Charles II. almost lost her life from this custom. She was fond of riding, and, having received several fine horses from Andalusia, she had a mind to try one; but had no sooner mounted than the horse pranced, and, throwing her, dragged her over the ground, her foot having caught in the stirrup. All the court were spectators, but dared not touch her on account of this court rule. Charles II. saw the accident and the danger his wife was in, and called out vehemently; but the inviolable custom and untouchable foot restrained the Spaniards from lending a helping hand. However, two gentle- men, Don Luis de las Torres and Don Jaime de Soto Mayor, resolved to run all hazards despite the law of the queen’s foot, the law del pié por la reina. One caught hold of the horse’s bridle and the other of the queen’s foot, and ip taking it out of the stirrup put one of his fingers out of joint. This done, the dons im- mediately went home. The queen, recovering from her fright, desired to see her . deliverers, A young lord told her majesty they were obliged to flee from Madrid to escape the punishment they deserved. The queen, who was a Frenchwoman, knew nothing of the prerogative of her heel, and thought it a very impertinent custom that men must be punished for saving her life. She easily obtained their pardon from the king. )

15. Who was Riibezahl #

A number of answers were selected as worthy of publication. “ Davus,” “ Veritas,” “ Box 211,” “ Owego,” “ Mayflower,” *“ Hohen- fels,” * (Edipus,” “ McNox,” “Ulm,” * Lillian Walsh,” “ Ray le Brun,” “ Queue,” “ Elsie Marley,” “ Quill,”—any one of these, or a score of others, would do to quote. Instead, we will make up a com- posite article from the contributions of “One of a Thousand” and “ Olive Oldschool,” leaving out what is mere reduplication, and insert- ing that part of each article which is complementary to the other.

Here is “ One of a Thousand’s” description of the gnome:

A famous spirit of the Riesengebirge (Giant Mountains), which separate Prussian Silesia from Germany, corresponding to the English Puck. He is cele- brated in countless tales and ballads, which represent him as fond of playing tricks, sometimes good-natured, sometimes malicious, leading travellers astray, laming horses, breaking wagon-wheels or axle-trees, blocking up the roads, raising tempests to bewilder his victims, etc. He punishes the wicked, hating pride, in- Jjustice, covetousness, and but 18 always ready to help the poor and op- pressed, guides lost wayfarers, and rewards the virtuous. His presence is invoked at peasant weddings, where a ribbon given by him is transformed into a costly gift. In one of the stories of his munificence, & black pudding which he gives a workman is found to be filled with pieces; and others relate how seem- worthless presents from him, such as sloes, skittles, leaves, or curds in the milk-pan, turn into gold. Once he aided an innocent man, condemned to death, to escape, and, assuming his form, was hanged in his stead, which penalty, need- less to say, did no injury to the goblin.

He appears under various forms, as a miner, huntsman, monk, dwarf, giant, or most oﬁen as a sooty collier, with long red beard, fiery eyes, and a pole like a weaver’s beam ; sometimes as an animal, dragon, wolf, or or the fabulous leopard-like hyson. It is dangerous to hunt on his mountains, for he punishes interference with his sport, and also to call him Riibezahl; instead the peasants allude to him cautiously as “ The Lord of the Mountains,” “ The Warden of the March,” or ‘“ Herr Johannes.”

The legends of this mountain-goblin are to be found in “ Volksmérchen der

Go gle -