Thursday, December 21, 2023

The Mount of the Golden Queen - Part Two


When the young man came to the sister who was nine yards taller than her sister, she also did not know the way to the Mount of Golden Queen. She directed the young man to her brother who was nine yards taller than her and who lived in a hill far away. 

So the man came to the hill where smoke was rising and knocked. 

A man who was taller than both his sisters came out of the place. 

The young man asked the huge giant the way to the Mount of Golden Queen. 

The giant took a whistle and blew it in all the directions. 

All the animals from the forest came on hearing the whistle. A bear led the other animals to the place. When the giant asked the bear about the Mount of the Golden Queen, the animals and the bear in particular knew nothing of it. 

Then once more the giant blew his whistle and called all the birds of the air. All the birds led by the Eagle came to answer the giant's question. 

“Yes, I know where the Mount of the Golden Queen is.” The eagle told the giant. 



The giant was very happy on hearing this. “Then take this young man there, but do not treat him unkindly.” 

 The Eagle promised that to the giant and allowed the young man to sit himself on its back and then flew through the air over the fields and forests and they were over the ocean where they could see nothing but the sky and the water. 

Then the Eagle dipped the young man into the ocean up to his ankles. “Are you afraid?” The Eagle asked. 

The man shook his head. “No,” he replied. 

Then the Eagle flew for a while and then again dipped the young man in water up to his knees. “Are you afraid?” The Eagle asked.

“Yes,” the young man replied, “but then the giant asked you not to treat me unkindly.”

The Eagle nodded at the young man. “The fear that you now feel is the same fear when the princess gave the letter and the golden band in your hand.” 

After that, the Eagle reached a large high mountain which had a great iron door.

They knocked and a maid appeared to open the door. 

The young man remained and was well received there, but the Eagle bade him goodbye and flew away. 

Then the young man asked the maid for a drink and when he had been given a refreshing drink, he emptied it and returned the vessel with a golden band in it. 



The maid brought back the vessel to her to the princess of the mount of the golden Queen. 

The princess immediately realized that someone had come to see her.

When the maid confirmed that someone had come to see her, the princess asked the young man to come in.

The young man gave her the letter that he had received in his dream.

At that minute the curse of the princess was lifted and the mountain turned into the castle of the princess.

Adapted from Swedish Folk Tales


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