Fairy Tales, Their Origin and Meaning; With Some Account of Dwellers in FairylandBunce, John Thackray
History
Fairy Tales, Their Origin and Meaning; With Some Account of Dwellers in Fairyland
Bunce, John Thackray
Fairy tales -- History and criticism
One more story of the same kind must be told, for three reasons: because
it is very good reading, because it brings together various legends, and
because it shows that these were common to Celtic as well as to Hindu,
Greek, Teutonic, and Scandinavian peoples. It is called "The Battle
of the Birds," and is given at full length, and in several different
versions, in Campbell's "Popular Tales of the West Highlands."[5] To
bring it within our space we must tell it in our own way.
Once upon a time every bird and other creature gathered to battle. The
son of the King of Tethertoun went to see the battle, but it was over
before he got there, all but one fight, between a great Raven and a
Snake; and the Snake was getting the victory. The King's son helped
the Raven, and cut off the Snake's head. The Raven thanked him for his
kindness and said, "Now I will give thee a sight; come up on my wings;"
and then the Raven flew with him over seven mountains, and seven glens,
and seven moors, and that night the King's son lodged in the house of
the Raven's sisters; and promised to meet the Raven next morning in the
same place. This went on for three nights and days, and on the third
morning, instead of a raven, there met him a handsome lad, who gave him
a bundle, and told him not to look into it, until he was in the place
where he would most wish to dwell. But the King's son did look into the
bundle, and then he found himself in a great castle with fine grounds
about it, and he was very sorry, because he wished the castle had been
near his father's house, but he could not put it back into the bundle
again. Then a great Giant met him, and offered to put the castle back
into a bundle for a reward, and this was to be the Prince's son, when
the son was seven years old. So the Prince promised, and the Giant put
everything back into the bundle, and the Prince went home with it to his
father's house. When he got there he opened the bundle, and out came the
castle and all the rest, just as before, and at the castle door stood a
beautiful maiden who asked him to marry her, and they were married, and
had a son. When the seven years were up, the Giant came to ask for the
boy, and then the King's son (who had now become a king himself) told
his wife about his promise. "Leave that to me and the Giant," said the
Queen. So she dressed the cook's son (who was the right age) in fine
clothes, and gave him to the Giant; but the Giant gave the boy a rod,
and asked him, "If thy father had that rod, what would he do with it?"
"He would beat the dogs if they went near the King's meat," said the
boy. Then Said the Giant, "Thou art the cook's son," and he killed
him. Then the Giant went back, very angry, and the Queen gave him the
butler's son; and the Giant gave him the rod, and asked him the same
question, "My father would beat the dogs if they came near the King's
glasses," said the boy. "Thou art the butler's son," said the Giant;
and he killed him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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