Myth and Fairytale about Kings - Essay Example

Fairytale 2007 Once upon a time in a far-far away land there lived a king and a queen. Their kingdom was very rich and for many years they experienced neither wars nor hunger. People loved their rulers very much. Yet one thing disturbed the old king – they had no children. The old king was fond of hunting. There were many woods in his lands, filled with animals and birds. The king used to go hunting with his people almost every month. What a vivid picture they made sitting on their fine trotters, dressed in hunting costumes, with horns at their sides and guns on their shoulders, and accompanied by a large troop of the best hounds. Once as they were hunting, the king saw a beautiful deer. The animal was so gracious and its antlers were so wide and branchy, that the king admired the animal. Notwithstanding the beauty of the deer, the king decided to kill it and have the antlers as his trophy. But the deer darted off and rushed away hiding itself in the thick of the forest. The old king spurred his horse and rushed after the animal. The deer was very quick, but the old king did not lag behind. He followed the deer going deeper and deeper into the forest. Long or short were they racing, but soon it was impossible to hear hunting horns or barking dogs and the forest became so thick and the trees were so tall that little light fell upon the earth. Suddenly the deer jumped towards the thick bush and disappeared. Only then did the king notice that he was in the dense forest far away from human dwellings. He obviously had lost his way. Then he saw light between the trees. As he approached it, he came to a glade. In the middle of the glade there was a little wooden hut surrounded by paling. The king called the masters but nobody answered, the hut was empty. The king felt tired and decided to have rest in the hut. As he entered it he saw a laid table with many aromatic dishes on it. The king was hungry. So he ate some food, and then he lay down on a bed and fell asleep. At midnight the forest filled with noise and whistle, strange sounds and animals’ and birds’ cries. The door opened and a tiny man came into the hut. The dwarf had an ugly face with small eyes, a huge mouth and a hooked nose and a hump on his back. As he saw the king he stamped his feet and hissed: “How dared you come into my house, eat my dinner and sleep in my bed?! I will kill you!” The king was frightened and he fell onto his knees and begged the dwarf: “Please, don’t kill me. I am the king of this country and I am very rich. Take whatever you want, but let me return home. My old queen will be very upset if something happens to me.” “All right,” – responded the dwarf. – “I won’t kill you right now. But in five years you will give me the most precious of your treasures you are not aware of yet.” What’s the problem? – thought the king. – There is nothing more precious than my life. I know all the treasures of mine. So they agreed on the conditions. Then the dwarf struck the king’s forehead and as the king opened his eyes he found himself on the edge of the forest not far from his castle. How glad he was to return home! Great news was waiting for him. The queen gave birth to a child, a little pretty girl. The king’s joy was clouded. Now he knew what precious treasure had he promised to the dwarf. Five years passed quickly. The little princess was growing up. Never had anyone seen a child more beautiful then the princess. The girl was very kind, merry and clever. Everybody loved the little princess. Only the king and the queen got sadder each year. On the day of the princess’s fifth birthday they packed the little princess’s things and the king took her to the forest to the little wooden hut and left her there. So the girl became the apprentice of the old dwarf. He taught her everything he knew about herbs and minerals. She learnt the language of animals and birds and could heal any disease. She also knew a lot of spells and charms and could turn into different objects and creatures. Much did she learn from the old dwarf, but her heart remained as kind as it had been in her early childhood. Many years passed and the princess became a beautiful maid. She was as pretty as the dawn and her voice was as sweet as honey. One day the dwarf announced her that she should become his wife. The princess was frightened. She felt disgust at the thought of becoming a wife of the old and ugly dwarf. But she did not give any sign and only said: “All right. I will become your wife in three years, three months, three weeks and three days. Till that time let me feel free and enjoy the life.” So they decided. The time was passing. Each day the princess went for a walk into the forest signing her songs, speaking to birds and gathering herbs. She was waiting for something. In three years, three months, three weeks and two days she went for a walk as usual. The old dwarf was rubbing his hands smiling happily. In a day she was to become his wife. The princess seemed carefree and merry as she always used to be. However, she did not return in the evening. The dwarf was waiting for her till the first stars appeared in the sky and then he set off looking for her all over the forest. He ransacked every corner of the wood but could not find the princess. “Ah, you, disobedient girl! You hope to run away from me! I will find you and you will become my wife!” The dwarf stamped his left foot, turned around three times and gave a loud whistle. A troop of black dogs with luminous eyes appeared in front of him. “Hurry, my faithful dogs! Find the refuge!” – he cried. And the dogs rushed after the princess. The princess heard the dogs running after her. She got frightened. Nobody could deceive the keen sense of smell of the animals. So she climbed up the high tree and was waiting. As the dogs reached the tree, they surrounded it and sat down keeping watch over the girl. The princess clapped her hands and a big bowl of food appeared before the animals. The dogs were hungry, while the greedy dwarf seldom fed them. They pounced on the food and as the bowl was empty their leader said: “Dear Princess, you’ve always been very kind to us! Even now as we are hunting for you, you did not get angry but gave us food! We’ll return to the master and say that we could not find you! Be happy!” The dwarf was furious and shouted at the dogs and whipped them: “Ah, you idle, good-for-nothing spongers! What for do I feed you?” He stamped his right foot, turned around three times and gave a loud whistle. A black horse appeared before him, pawing the earth with its hoof, tongues of flame coming from its nose as it breathed. The dwarf mounted the black horse and off they rushed after the refuge. The princess heard the dwarf approaching her on his horse and turned into a lion. As the horse saw the growling lion, it got frightened, pranced and threw the dwarf on the ground. The dwarf turned into a hunter and directed his gun at the lion. Then the princess turned into a mouse, so that the old dwarf could not hit her. The dwarf turned into a fox and rushed after the mouse. The princess turned into a white dove and soared up into the sky. The dwarf turned into a black kite and pursued the dove. The princess felt that she was in a trap and didn’t know what to do. This moment an arrow pierced the kite’s heart and he fell to the ground like a stone and became dust. A handsome youth on a white horse was there on the glade. The white dove landed on his shoulder and cooed. The youth patted her and offered her some corns. His heart was very kind. Then the dove threw itself onto the ground and became the princess again. The youth was surprised, but he had no fear. He loved the beautiful maid at once and spoke to her with respect and dignity: “Dear stranger! I am the king of this kingdom. I have never seen a maiden more beautiful than you are. I would be very glad if you agreed to become my wife.” Certainly, the princess agreed, while she also fell in love with the youth at first sight. It was he whom she had been waiting for all those years. So the next day they married. The wedding was wonderful and many guests were invited. The old king and queen, the princess’s parents, were at the feast too. How happy they were to see their child again. They cried with joy and hugged and kissed her. And the feast continued for three weeks. I was there too. I ate delicious food and drank heady wines, but became so drunk that fell asleep and woke up when everything was over. Read More