The Robber Bridegroom
Once upon a time, there was a miller who had a very beautiful daughter. As she grew older, he wished for her to marry well and live a comfortable life. So he thought to himself:
“I will give her to the first suitable man who comes to ask for her hand.”
Not long after, a man came to propose. He appeared very wealthy, and the miller could find no fault in him, so he betrothed his daughter to that man.
However, the daughter did not like him. She felt none of the affection a bride should feel, and she could not trust him. Whenever she saw or even thought of him, an inner shudder crept over her.
One day, the man said:
“We have been betrothed for quite some time, yet you have never visited me.”
“I do not know where your house is,” she replied.
“My house lies deep within the dark forest,” he said.
She tried to excuse herself, saying she might not find the way, but he insisted:
“You must come next Sunday. I have already invited guests. To make sure you do not lose your way, I will scatter ashes along the path.”
When Sunday came and it was time to leave, an unexplainable dread filled her heart. To make sure she could find her way back, she filled her pockets with peas and lentils, planning to drop th