The youth drove the bullocks away, came to his lord’s fields, and ploughed and sowed them in one day.
His lord was very much surprised. He did not know if there was anything impossible to this man, whose wife he wanted. He called him a second time, and said: ‘Go and gather up the wheat thou hast sown, that not a grain may be wanting, and that the barn may be full. If thou dost not this, thy wife is mine.’
‘This is impossible,’ said the man to himself. He went home to his wife, who again reproached him, and then said: ‘Go to the lake’s edge and ask for the jackdaws.’
The husband went to the edge of the lake and called out: ‘Mother and Father! I beg you to lend me your jackdaws to-day.’ From the lake came forth flocks of jackdaws; they flew to the ploughed ground, each gathered up a seed and put it into the barn.
The lord came and cried out: ‘There is one seed short; I know each one, and one is missing.’ At that moment a jackdaw’s caw was heard; it came with the missing seed, but owing to a lame foot it was a little late.
The lord was very angry that even the impossible was possible to this man, and could not think what to give him to do.
He puzzled his brain until he thought of the following plan. He called the man and said to him: ‘My mother, who died in this village, took with her a ring. If thou goest to the other world and bringest that ring hither to me, it is well; if not, I shall take away thy wife.’
The man said to himself: ‘This is quite impossible.’ He went home and complained to his wife. She reproached him, and then said: ‘Go to the lake and ask for the ram.’
The husband went to the lake and called out: ‘Mother and Father! give me your ram to-day, I pray you.’ From the lake there came forth a ram with twisted horns; from its mouth issued a flame of fire. It said to the man: ‘Mount on my back!’
The man sat down, and, quick as lightning, the ram descended towards the lower regions. It went on and shot like an arrow through the earth.