The White Lady

In ancient times, in the county of Devonshire, there lived an old woman—a kind and God-fearing lady. One day, for reasons unknown, she woke up at midnight, imagining it was already morning. She got out of bed, dressed, took two baskets and a cloak, and set off to a nearby town to fetch provisions.

As she walked out onto the meadow beyond the village, she heard the loud barking of dogs, and at that very moment, a hare leaped out from the bushes. It jumped onto a roadside stone, lifted its little face toward the old woman, twitched its mouth, and looked at her as if to say, "Take me."

The old woman grabbed the hare by its ears, placed it in one of the baskets, closed the lid, and continued on her way. But soon, on a desolate heath covered in thick purple heather, she saw a massive black horse galloping toward her at full speed. Frozen with fear, the old woman noticed that this extraordinary horse had no head and that on its back sat a hideous rider with a black face, a cow's leg, and sharp horns protruding from the sides of his small jockey's cap. Sparks flew from the powerful hooves of the extraordinary horse, and behind the terrible hunter raced a pack of enormous dogs. Their tails wagged, their tips burning like fire. To make matters worse, a strong smell of sulfur filled the air.

The old woman immediately realized that the hunter and his dreadful hounds had come straight from the underworld. Nevertheless, as the rider approached her, he politely tipped his hat and asked the frightened woman if she had seen where a gray hare had run. Perhaps the old woman decided it was no sin to deceive the eternal liar and deceiver, and she boldly replied that she had seen no hare.

The hunter turned his horse and galloped away without suspecting her lie. When the terrifying pack of dogs chasing him disappeared from sight and the smell of sulfur vanished from the air, the old woman felt the hare begin to stir restlessly in the basket. She lifted the lid, and the creature jumped out onto the ground. To the old woman's great astonishment, it transformed into a young beauty in a white dress.

"Good woman," she said, "I am amazed by your courage and deeply grateful for your kindness. You have saved me from torments that you should never know. Do not be frightened by what I tell you: I have long been dead, and as punishment for a great crime, I was condemned to forever flee from my pursuers. I knew I could only escape my tormentors by getting behind them. Now, thanks to you, I have succeeded, and as a reward for your kindness, I promise that all your hens will lay two eggs every day throughout the year and that all your cows will give two buckets of milk each day. Pray for me, beware of the devil, and go to church. Remember that my enemy—and yours—will be furious when he learns how you outwitted him, and know that he can appear on earth in any form except that of a lamb or a dove."

The white lady fell silent and vanished, dissolving like smoke.
The old woman grew wealthy. She became even more God-fearing than before, for she feared the wrath of the evil spirit she had deceived.

More fairy tales

• The Lambton Worm
• The Black Bull of Norroway
• The Master of All Masters
• The Tailor and the Fairies
• The Legend of Macbeth