In days gone by there was a land where the nights were always dark, and
the sky spread over it like a black cloth, for there the moon never rose,
and no star shone in the obscurity.  At the creation of the world, the light
at night had been sufficient.  Three young fellows once went out of this
country on a travelling expedition, and arrived in another kingdom, where,
in the evening when the sun had disappeared behind the mountains, a shining
globe was placed on an oak-tree, which shed a soft light far and wide.  By
means of this, everything could very well be seen and distinguished, even
though it was not so brilliant as the sun.  The travellers stopped and asked
a countryman who was driving past with his cart, what kind of a light that
was.  "That is the moon," answered he; our mayor bought it for three thalers,
and fastened it to the oak-tree.  He has to pour oil into it daily, and to keep it
clean, so that it may always burn clearly.  He receives a thaler a week from us
for doing it."

When the countryman had driven away, one of them said, "We could
make some use of this lamp, we have an oak-tree at home, which is
just as big as this, and we could hang it on that.  What a pleasure it
would be not to have to feel about at night in the darkness!"  "I'll tell
you what we'll do," said the second; "we will fetch a cart and horses
and carry away the moon.  The people here may buy themselves another." 
"I'm a good climber," said the third, "I will bring it down."  The fourth
brought a cart and horses, and the third climbed the tree, bored a hole
in the moon, passed a rope through it, and let it down.  When the shining
ball lay in the cart, they covered it over with a cloth, that no one might
observe the theft.  They conveyed it safely into their own country, and
placed it on a high oak.  Old and young rejoiced, when the new lamp let
its light shine over the whole land, and bed-rooms and sitting-rooms were
filled with it.  The dwarfs came forth from their caves in the rocks, and the
tiny elves in their little red coats danced in rings on the meadows.

The four took care that the moon was provided with oil, cleaned the wick,
and received their weekly thaler, but they became old men, and when one
of them grew ill, and saw that he was about to die, he appointed that one
quarter of the moon, should, as his property, be laid in the grave with him. 
When he died, the mayor climbed up the tree, and cut off a quarter with the
hedge-shears, and this was placed in his coffin.  The light of the moon
decreased, but still not visibly.  When the second died, the second quarter was
buried with him, and the light diminished.  It grew weaker still after the death
of the third, who likewise took his part of it away with him; and when the fourth
was borne to his grave, the old state of darkness recommenced, and whenever
the people went out at night without their lanterns they knocked their heads
together.

When, however, the pieces of the moon had united themselves
together again in the world below, where darkness had always
prevailed, it came to pass that the dead became restless and awoke
from their sleep.  They were astonished when they were able to
see again; the moonlight was quite sufficient for them, for their
eyes had become so weak that they could not have borne the
brilliance of the sun.  They rose up and were merry, and fell
into their former ways of living.  Some of them went to the play
and to dance, others hastened to the public-houses, where they
asked for wine, got drunk, brawled, quarreled, and at last took
up cudgels, and belabored each other.  The noise became greater
and greater, and at last reached even to heaven.

Saint Peter who guards the gate of heaven thought the lower world
had broken out in revolt and gathered together the heavenly troops,
which are to drive back the Evil One when he and his associates storm
the abode of the blessed.  As these, however, did not come, he got on
his horse and rode through the gate of heaven, down into the world below. 
There he reduced the dead to subjection, bade them lie down in their graves
again, took the moon away with him, and hung it up in heaven.

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