The Brithers Grimm

The war ance a man an a wife that didna hae ony bairns sae lang as thay wis rich, but whan thay becam puir, thay haed a wee laddie. But thay coudna find a Godfaither for him. Syne the man said he wad gang tae anither airt for tae see gin he coud find ane thare. On his gate he cam ower a puir man. The puir man speirt waur he wis gaun. The man said he wantit awa for tae find a Godfaither, but he's puir an nae body wantit tae be Godfaither.
"Och", said the puir man,
"ye're puir an A'm puir, A want tae be the Godfaither; but A'm sae puir A canna gie the bairn ocht. Gang hame an tell the howdie-wife she shoud come til the kirk wi the bairn."
As aw the mengie cam til the kirk, the gaberlunzie wis awreddies ben, he gied the bairn the name Fergus Suithfast. As thay gaed oot the kirk the gaberlunzie said,
"gang hame nou, A canna gie ye ocht an ye shoudna gie's ocht aither."
But he gied the howdie-wife a key an said she shoud gie it til the faither whan she gits hame, he shoud tak tent o't till the bairn's fowerteen year auld, syne the bairn shoud gang up til the muir, thare's a castle that the key fits, an aw whit's inby belangs him.

Whan the bairn wis a weel grawn sieven year auld, he gaed daffin wi the tither laddies, the tane haed gotten mair aff his Godfaither nor the tither. He coudna say muckle an grat an gaed hame an said til his faither,
"Hiv A no gotten ocht aff ma Godfaither?"
"Och ay", said the faither,
"ye wis gien a key. Gin ye see a castle up on the muir, gang til it an open it."
Syne he gaed thare but thare wisna a castle tae be seen or haurd.

Ance mair, efter anither sieven year, whan he wis fowerteen year auld, he gaed back an thare stuid a castle. Whan he opent it thare wis nocht inby but a horse an saidle. The laddie wis sae up tae hie doh that he haed the horse, he sat hissel on it an breishelt til his faither,
"nou that A hae a saidle A want tae stravaig an aw."
Syne he gaed awa, an as he wis on his gate, he seen a scrievin-quill liggin on the grund. At first he wantit tae tak it up, but he thocht til hissel,
"Och, ye shoud lea' it liggin, nae maiter whaur ye come til ye'll aye find a quill whan ye hae want o ane."
As he gaed it cryit efter him,
"Fergus Suithfast tak it wi ye."
He leukit aboot him but didna see onybody, he gaed back again an pickit it up. Efter he haed ridden a whilie, he cam ower a loch. A fish wis liggin on the bank, pechin an pechin for air. Sae he said,
"haud on ma lief fish, A want tae help ye git back intil the loch."
Syne he gruppit the fish by the tail an flang it intil the loch. Syne the fish raxed his heid oot the watter an said,
"nou that ye hae helpit me, A want tae gie ye a penny-whistle, an gin ye drap onything intil the loch, whistle an A will rax it oot tae ye."

He nou rade awa. Syne a man cam til him an speirt whaur he wis gaun.
"Och, til the neist clachan."
"whit's yer name?"
"Fergus Suithfast."
"See thare, we naurhaund hae the same name, A'm cryit Fergus Suithless."
Syne the baith o thaim gaed til the neist clachan, tae the inn. Nou it wis ill that Fergus Suithless aye kent awthing that the tither haed thocht an wantit tae dae. He kent thon throu aw kins o wickit cantrips.

In the inn wis an upricht lassie that haed sic a pure face an cleidit hersel sae bonnie. She wis smitten wi Fergus Suithfast. She wis a lousome body an speirt whaur he wis gaun. Och, he wantit tae stravaig aboot. Syne she said he shoud juist bide thare. Here in the kintra wis a keeng that wad blythe tak on a servand or an ootrider. Still an on he shoud gang intil the service. He answert that he coudna weel gang thare an bode hissel. Syne the lassie said,
"A'll e'en dae't."
An wi thon she gaed straucht til the keeng an telt him she kent a braw servand. That wis awricht an the keeng lat him come til him for tae mak him a servand. But he wad liefer be an ootrider, acause whaur his horse is, he maun be an aw. Sae the keeng taen him on as an ootrider.
Whan Fergus Suithless fund oot aboot thon he said til the lassie,
"Haud on, ye helpit him an no me?"
"Och ", said the lassie, "A want tae help ye an aw."
She thocht: "A maun keep an ee on him acause he's no tae lippen til."
She gaed an stuid afore the keeng an bode him as a servand. The keeng wis weel sert. Mornins whan Fergus Suithless gaed til his maister, the keeng aye yammert,
"och! gin A haed ma lassie wi me."
Fergus Suithless wis aye schemin agin Fergus Suithfast, ance mae as the keeng wis yammerin he said,
"Ye hae the ootrider send him, he coud bring her here, an gin he disna dae it, his heid maun be liggit afore his feet."
Syne the keeng lat Fergus Suithfu be brocht til him an telt him, he haed a lassie an he shoud bring her here, an gin he didna dae it he maun dee.

Fergus Suithfast gaed til his saidle in the stable an grat an yammert.
"Och! Whitna puir craitur A am."
Syne a body cryit oot ahint him,
"Fergus Suithfast whit for are ye greetin?"
He leukit aboot but didna see onybody, an aye yammert on,
"Och ma lief saidleockie, nou A maun lea' ye, nou A maun dee."
It syne cryit again,
"Fergus Suithfast whit for are ye greetin?"
Syne he jaloused that it wis the saidle that speirt at him.
"Are ye daein thon, ma saidleockie, can ye speak?" An said ower: "A maun gang awa an bring the trystit ane back, dae ye no ken hou A micht coud begin?"
Syne the saidleockie answert,
"Gang til the keeng an say, gin he gies ye whit ye maun hae, ye will bring her, gin he gies ye a ship laiden wi flesh an a ship laiden wi breid, than ye can win throu. Thare's muckle etins in the loch, gin ye dinna bring thaim ony flesh thay will rive ye, an thare's muckle birds, that will pick oot the een fae yer heid gin ye dinna hae ony breid for thaim."
Syne the keeng lat aw the fleshers in the airt slauchter an aw the baxters bak, sae that the ships'll be laiden fou. An whan thay wis laiden fou, the saidleockie said til Fergus Suithfast,
"Nou sit upo me an ride abuird the ship, an whan the etins comes say:

'Wheesht, wheesht ma lief etinies,
A hiv on ye thocht,
A hiv brocht ye ocht.'

An whan the birds comes, ance mae ye say:

'Wheesht, wheesht ma lief birdies,
A hae on ye thocht,
A hae brocht ye ocht.'

Than thay winna skaithe ye, an whan ye win til the castle, the etins will help ye. Syne gang intae the castle an tak twa-three etins wi ye. The princess ligs thare sleepin but ye maunna wauken her. The etins maun heeze up her an the bed, an cairy her abuird the ship.

An as thay cam til the keeng, she said she coudna lou him. She maun hae her screeds, thay war left liggin in her castle.

Syne Fergus Suithless wis schemin for tae hae Fergus Suitfast cryit an the keeng telt him he maun fesh the screeds frae the castle, ithergates he maun dee. Ance mae he gaed intil the stable an grat an said,
"Och ma lief saidleockie, Nou A maun gang awa ance mae, hou shoud A dae thon?"
Syne the saidleockie said,
"ye maun laid the ships fou ance mae."
As thay wan til the castle the saidleockie telt him, he shoud gang in, in the princess's bedchaumer, the screeds is on the desk. Syne Fergus Suithfast gaed in an gat a haud o thaim. As thay wis on the loch he lat his quill faw intil the watter, syne the saidleockie said,
"A canna help ye nou."
Syne he mynt the penny-whistle, he begoud tae play, syne the fish cam wi the quill in his mooth an raxed it up til him. Syne he brocht the screeds til the castle waur the waddin wis tae be hauden.

The queen coudna thole the keeng acause he didna hae a neb, but she wis sair lief on Fergus Suithfast. Efter aw the menfowk o the coort wis foregaithert, the queen said she coud dae cantrips, she coud sned a body's heid aff an pit it back on, juist ae body daur come forrit. But naebody wantit tae be the first, Fergus Suithless haed tae acause o Fergus Suithless' schemin. She sned aff his heid an pit it back on again, an it wis healt straucht awa, an leukit lik he haed a reid threid roond his hause. Syne the keeng said til her,
"hen, whaur did ye learn tae dae thon?"
"Ay", she said, "A unnerstaund sic cantrips, shoud A ettle an dae it wi ye an aw?"
"Och aye!" he said.
Syne she sned aff his heid but didna pit it back on again, she lat on she coudna git it back on, acause he wadna sit still. Syne the keeng wis yirdit. She wantit Fergus Suithfast but he aye rade his saidle, an as he sat on it, it said til him, he shoud gang til anither muir that he shawd him, an ride aboot it thrice, an efter he haed duin thon it gaed up on its hint-legs an chynged intae a prince.

~Lizzy~