Once there was a poor man whose wife had a son. But since they had seven children already, they were not happy about the birth of the eighth. The man went out begging and collected some clothes and food for the christening, but nobody wanted to be godfather to the beggar’s son. Nor did they want to give any christening gift. Weeping, the man went into a big forest; he felt very unhappy and abandoned. There he met a man who was fair and beautiful. His eyes were sparkling and blue as the spring sky, his hair was like gold, and his voice like sweet music when he asked:

“Why do you weep so bitterly?”

“Nobody wants to be godfather to my little son,” said the man.

“I am the good Lord,” he answered, and the flowers gave out their scent and the birds sang sweeter still.

“No,” said the beggar. “I don’t want you as godfather if you are God, because you are not just. To some you give wealth and happiness, to others poverty and want.” Weeping, he continued on his way.

Then he met a man whose eyes shone like balls of fire. The flowers wilted wherever he went and snakes coiled in the grass around him.

“Why do you weep?” he said and a foul stench of sulphur came from his mouth.

“Nobody wants to be Godfather to my son,” said the beggar.

“I’ll be godfather,” said the gloomy man he was talking to.

“Who are you?” asked the beggar.

“I am the Devil,” said the man and smiled wickedly.

“Then I don’t want you as my son’s godfather, because at the end you reward badly those who serve you by tormenting them eternally.”

The beggar then met a tall, thin man with a scythe on his shoulder. A chilly fog seemed to escape from his mouth and flowers and grass seemed to stiffen wherever he went.

“Why do you weep so bitterly?” he said with a hollow voice.

“I have a son to be christened, but nobody wants to be godfather,” said the beggar.

“I will be godfather to your son,” said the sinister man.

“Who are you?” asked the beggar.

“I am Death,” said the man, and a cold breath came out of his mouth. Then the beggar was happy and said:

“Yes, gladly would I have you as godfather, because you give the same to all and make no distinction between high and low.”

So Death carried the beggar’s son to the christening and said afterwards:

“Take my godson with you on the day he is eighteen years old and meet me at the place where we first saw each other and I shall give him a christening gift.”

The boy grew up and when he was eighteen years old his father brought him to the place where he had met his godfather. He was there to meet him and said:

“My godson shall become a doctor and as a christening gift I am giving him the ability to see if a sick man will die or regain health. If my godson sees me standing at the head of the bed the sick man will die, but if I stand at his feet he will live.”

The boy became famous as a doctor, since he could tell immediately upon seeing a sick man whether he would get well or die, and it never happened that he made a mistake.

But once the king’s chief councilor got sick. The king was beside himself, because he could not rule his kingdom without him. He offered to give two barrels of gold to the man who cured him. When the doctor came near the sick man, his godfather was standing at the head of the bed. The doctor begged and beseeched him to be reasonable and move to the foot of the bed, but he couldn’t be  persuaded.  Therefore the godson decided to try to cheat Death and turned the bed so that Death came to stand at the foot instead, and immediately the sick man came to life. He recovered and the doctor received the promised award.

But Death was very angry because his godson had cheated him out of his victim.

“If you try this trick again, you shall die yourself,” he said.

After some time the king’s only daughter got sick.  Now the king was in despair and said that he couldn’t live without his daughter. He promised half the kingdom and the hand of the princess to the man who cold cure her. When Death’s godson entered the princess’ room, he saw his godfather standing at the head of her bed. He fell down on his knees before Death and ardently beseeched him to place himself at the princess’ feet, but he remained firm. Then the doctor decided to use his cunning once more and again he turned the bed so that Death stood at her feet. The princess recovered and, according to the king’s promise, a wedding was prepared for her and the doctor who had cured her.

On the wedding night, when the doctor was sleeping with his beautiful bride, there was a knock at the door and his godfather entered and beckoned to his godson. He stood up and followed his godfather and was brought to a deep cave deep down in the earth. A countless number of candles were burning there, some newly lit, others almost burned out in their holders.

“What does this mean?” asked Death’s godson.

“Those are life-lights of men,” said the godfather.

“Whose is that?” asked the godson and pointed to a light which had almost burned out and merely flickered in its holder.

“Your own,” said Death and pointed to a larger candle which had been lit so recently that the flame still had not seized hold firmly.

“This newly kindled light is your son’s.”

The godson then fell down before his godfather and, filled with anguish, he pleaded with him to put a new candle on his own holder quickly, but Death did not answer. And now the light flickered for the last time and went out, and at that moment the godson fell down dead before his godfather’s feet.

We find from this that you can neither persuade nor cheat Death.