Thursday, July 19, 2018

Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse, Chapter 7, Part 3: He choked, he struggled....

After running for some time, he thought the menacing cacophony had diminished somewhat. But still he ran on, breathless and with heart beating. Surely now he had lost them in this impenetrable maze of trees and bushes and thickets. Soon he heard a new sound, meager at first but cheery. Was it a song or was it the sighing of the wind passing through the dense treetops? Now he thought it was a lark, now he thought it was a woman’s beautiful song. He followed the sweet music and could almost discern words in the melody. The source was just over the next hillock or in the next grove, behind that jagged rock or down the next valley. But when he reached the next hillock or the next grove, the melody seemed to be further ahead and so he pushed on, drawn to its sweetness and purity. The shadows of early evening soon descended and the prince found himself hopelessly astray. As blackness enveloped the woods, the prince sank down beside an enormous oak tree in complete exhaustion. 

Soon he was fast asleep. He dreamt he could see his bride walking ahead of him in the forest. It was she who was singing. As he got nearer and nearer to her, the song became clearer and more beautiful. He felt a deep calm come over him and smiled peacefully because he knew he would soon be with her. And then he felt her warm embrace like a slowly enveloping cocoon. At first, warmth spread through his body but soon it felt more like a stranglehold and then he could barely breathe. Awakening he found the oak tree had sprouted woody arms, which had grown tightly around him while he slept. He choked, he struggled, to no avail. The tree had been bewitched by the king’s hexes. It would now destroy him as he lay there helplessly. 

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse, Chapter 7, Part 2: The Whoof and Whoompf of War

With no ant hole of his own for protection, the prince looked around and saw a forest at some distance. He ran for it and just as he reached its edge, he turned back to see an immense army on the horizon. Dust spun up creating black clouds around the throng; the creak and crackle, whoof and whoompf of war vehicles melded into one loud roar. And still the mob rushed toward him. With no time left to lose he turned and ran into the shielding forest.

Sunday, July 15, 2018

Fairy Tale of Prince & Horse, CHAPTER 7: Submerge! Submerge!

CHAPTER 7

Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse Chapter 7, in which the prince being forewarned by the Ant King takes refuge in the shielding forest.



The Ant King, having finished his song, looked up at the prince and spoke: “Do not lose a precious minute, flee immediately. The king is rallying his army of witches, werewolves and giants and their power should not be underestimated! Alarum! Alarum!”

“But Ant King, where shall I begin? Where shall I go?” In the distance a faint humming could already be heard. The noise swelled and the very ground they stood on began to shake as the frightening sound approached.


“Quickly!” the Ant King cried to his underlings. “Submerge, submerge!” With that, his entire colony rushed to their ant hole and soon vanished underground.

Friday, July 13, 2018

Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse, Chapter 6 Part 4: An Army of Witches, Werewolves and Giants Assembles

While all this happened, the sleeping king, the kidnapper of the prince’s bride, awoke rather grumpily from his nine day slumber. “I knew it,” he snarled. The escapees have outwitted me this time, but I shall send my army after them. Witch, werewolf and giant shall come to my defense and seize my rightful bride! I shall not be out-foxed this time!”

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse, Chapter 6, Part 3


The ant underlings now rose up and raising their legs they chirped:
“Three trials you must pass, witch, werewolf, giant.
To win a wife you will surpass witch, werewolf, giant.
When in need call the steed, witch, werewolf giant.”

The place buzzed with their song, growing louder and louder until it seemed the earth itself was humming with electricity.


Bzzzzzzzzz

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse, Chapter 6: The Chirping Ant King Tells of 3 Trials

The Ant King heard the prince’s speech and rising up on his hind legs, shook the dust from his body and addressed the prince:
“Three trials you must pass, witch, werewolf, giant.
To win a wife you will surpass, witch, werewolf, giant.
When in need call the steed; witch, werewolf, giant.”



Her Majesty, the Ant Queen now rose up on her hind legs and in a solemn voice addressed the prince:
“Three trials you must pass, witch, werewolf, giant.
To win a wife you will surpass, witch, werewolf, giant.
When in need call the steed; witch, werewolf, giant.”


Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse, Chapter 6: The Ant King

CHAPTER 6

Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse, Chapter 6, in which the prince, having been abandoned by bride and horse, must now undertake three trials as foretold by a chorus of chirping ants.


The prince was alone. He had lost his faithful companion the horse. He had cursed the bride he loved so dearly. Gazing dejectedly at his feet he noticed the dry dust on his boots. It was indeed a barren place he found himself in: parched earth, cracked ground and only ants as companions. “Perchance the ants will show some compassion,” he thought sadly. “But even they are so busy, I would not bother them.”

Monday, July 9, 2018

Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse, Chapter 5: The Horse-Man Sings a Somber Song

The horse halted and taking on the form of horse-man sang in somber voice:

What is it you love?
Fair face – radiant divine,
Blossom-lips – heaven sublime?
Sparkling eyes, mad desire,
Are these the boons you require?




Why do you love?
To quench your thirst, to entertain?
To amuse yourself, circumvent pain?
A strong elixir makes one cheery,
Darkness banished from the weary.

Lout-not, love-full, unbridled colt.
Lout-not, love-full, loveful filly.
Let spalt-maid canter, spalt-youth trot,
Let love spane – spang, spang!





Now a finely shaped horse stood once more before the prince. Without saying a word, the hag jumped to its back and horse and rider soon vanished in the distance.



Sunday, July 8, 2018

Blossom Lips


The horse halted and taking on the form of horse-man sang in somber voice:

What is it you love?
Fair face – radiant divine,
Blossom-lips – heaven sublime?
Sparkling eyes, mad desire,
Are these the boons you require?



How do you love?
With longing adoration, long-suffering pain?
With hope and aspiration to acquire gain?
As sharp as an arrow, tip full gleam,
As soft as a feather, love-fond dream?



Why do you love?
To quench your thirst, to entertain?
To amuse yourself, circumvent pain?
A strong elixir makes one cheery,
Darkness banished from the weary.

Lout-not, love-full, unbridled colt.
Lout-not, love-full, loveful filly.
Let spalt-maid canter, spalt-youth trot,
Let love spane – spang, spang!


Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse, Chapter 5: A Pitiable Predicament!

Chapter 5
(Click label below Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse for prior chapters.)

Horrible fate, pitiable predicament!

The prince was overcome with anguish and lamented his sad condition to the horse: “My rash actions, though done in love, have not benefitted my bride. Whatever shall I do? Must I really sacrifice my life in this way? I curse the day I ever laid eyes on her!”

Monday, July 2, 2018

Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse, Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

The Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse, Chapter 4

(Click label below Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse for prior chapters.)

The young prince soon asked for the hand of the beautiful princess and she was willing to take him as husband.

But the neighboring king would not hear of it. He wanted to have such a beautiful wife for his own. How could he win her? Finally he thought up the following trick: He would send to his rival news that he should return home for his father was on his deathbed. Naturally it was a lie, but who would know? When the prince heard of his father's misfortune, he saddled his trusted steed and rode as fast as he could in the direction of home. He was hardly gone when the neighboring king appeared and robbed the prince of his bride.



On his way home, the prince stopped in a peaceful grove of oak trees. He alighted from his horse to take water from a bubbling spring. With a heavy heart he gazed at his own reflection in the pool of water and thought back to the counsel the Head had given him. “Beseech the horse three times when you are in distress,” it had said. The prince then remembered the magic horse spell:


Huzza, huzza, hinny-whinny.
Fly like a hawk, shake like thunder.
Eyes like the sun,
Hooves swift-footed,
Your lightning-gait,
Your mane gold-plait.

Huzza, huzza, hinny-whinny,
Fly like a hawk, shake like thunder.
Legs are leaping.
Ears are keeping.
Your truth be told.
Your signs unfold.

Huzza, huzza, hinny-whinny.
Fly like a hawk, shake like thunder.
All-seeing – tell.
All telling – see.
Horse-laugh prophesy!

Horse-neigh prophesy!







The horse turned to the prince and spoke solemnly: “Do not ride any further but halt and listen! It is not true that your father is lying on his deathbed. Your rival lied to you and while you rode, he robbed you of your bride. Return quickly for tomorrow is the wedding feast. Here, beside this stream you shall find three potions. If you drink from the first, you will fall into the deepest sleep for nine days and nine nights. If you drink from the second, you will become so old and brittle, that no one will recognize you. But if you douse yourself with the third potion, you will become as young, strong and vigorous as before.”



The prince turned his horse immediately and hurried to free his bride. He reached the gate of the neighboring king’s realm. Everything glittered like the richest jewelry. Guests had arrived; the wedding had begun. The prince drank from the second potion and became an old, old beggar. The beggar entered the castle and once in the wedding hall he begged for alms. Everyone gave him something; only the bride gave him nothing. She sat dejected in the corner. At last the beggar spoke: “I shall honor the bride with a wedding gift and you will give me refreshments in return. I can teach the young lady how to acquire virtue that attracts good fortune.” When the bride heard this, she reached forward to give the beggar his portion. The beggar took the alms with both hands and said: “Let us step aside so that I can tell you what a young bride must know.” Both stepped to the side. The prince only then revealed what had happened and why he had purposely taken the form of a beggar. And finally, he gave his bride the potions and said: “Try to give your kidnapper some of this first potion. While he sleeps nine days, we will be long gone over the mountain.”



The prince turned his horse immediately and hurried to free his bride. He reached the gate of the neighboring king’s realm. Everything glittered like the richest jewelry. Guests had arrived; the wedding had begun. The prince drank from the second potion and became an old, old beggar. The beggar entered the castle and once in the wedding hall he begged for alms. Everyone gave him something; only the bride gave him nothing. She sat dejected in the corner. At last the beggar spoke: “I shall honor the bride with a wedding gift and you will give me refreshments in return. I can teach the young lady how to acquire virtue that attracts good fortune.” When the bride heard this, she reached forward to give the beggar his portion. The beggar took the alms with both hands and said: “Let us step aside so that I can tell you what a young bride must know.” Both stepped to the side. The prince only then revealed what had happened and why he had purposely taken the form of a beggar. And finally, he gave his bride the potions and said: “Try to give your kidnapper some of this first potion. While he sleeps nine days, we will be long gone over the mountain.”

The bride took the sleeping potion, but noticed that the second potion looked so sweet and glittered in its golden vessel. She secretly took it, too. She slipped the first potion into a golden goblet, went to her kidnapper and spoke: “Before the wedding we should drink from this cup to celebrate our engagement!” He was satisfied. But when he drank, he fell into a nine-day sleep.



The young bride hastened away, but as she turned, she noticed the bright color of the second potion and how the vessel glittered that held this wonderful refreshment. Surely, a small portion from this second vessel could do no harm. No sooner thought than done and instead of a beautiful princess, a wretched hag stood before the eager prince. The prince had already doused himself with the third potion and had thus resumed his comely form. No time was left to lose. The prince escaped with the old hag on his wonderful horse and they galloped away into the night.

Friday, May 25, 2018

The prince uses a charm to beseech his horse to prophesy the future.



CHAPTER 3

And this is the charm the prince was to use when he beseeched his horse to prophesy the future:

Huzza, huzza, hinny-whinny.
Fly like a hawk, shake like thunder.
Eyes like the sun,
Hooves swift-footed.
Your lightning-gait,
Your mane gold-plait.

Huzza, huzza, hinny-whinny.
Fly like a hawk, shake like thunder.
Legs are leaping,
Ears are keeping.
Your truth be told.
Your signs unfold.

Huzza, huzza, hinny-whinny.
Fly like a hawk, shake like thunder.
All-seeing – tell.
All telling – see.
Horse-laugh prophesy!

Horse-neigh prophesy! 


Monday, May 21, 2018

Prince and Steed Approach the Castle




“We must leave here,” the horse replied. “You shall not endeavor to reach that hut or we shall come to blows and the winner will then decide where we go.”

“Well let us try then,” the young man answered laughing. Both took hold of each other and a wrestling match ensued. As it happened, the young man was soon lying on the bottom. But the witches in stealth had encircled them whilst they wrestled. The steed said “Quickly jump to my back and hold fast to my mane! I shall kick our way free!” The powerful steed kicked with his hindquarters and pranced and jumped free of the forest with a single leap. Now prince and steed were well on their way and soon approached the castle of a foreign king, who had a beautiful daughter. 


Friday, May 18, 2018

The Prince Tests His Strength







But the horse admonished the prince: "We must leave here. You shall not endeavor to reach that hut or we shall come to blows. Let us test our strength against each other and the winner will then decide where we go."

"Really?", the prince replied. "So it comes to this!" And the two engaged in a wrestling match.


Fairy Tale of Prince and Horse, Chapter 1 & Chapter 2

Chapter 1 

The Nature of Horses: How the Horse Runs in Freedom and Understands All Wild Things

In times of old, when wishing still helped, a king went to war and he was gone nine years. He left behind a young wife and his one-year old son. The king loved this son dearly. When he took leave of his wife, he made her pledge to care for this dear child with the greatest diligence and utmost prudence. The mother promised to do this. She alone would feed him and place him in his cradle. She would not allow another living person to even take him in arm. And so, the boy grew quickly like a radish.





In his fifth year, he was as big as a ten year old and had good sense and understanding. When he was eight, the young prince had already grown into a strapping young fellow, whose sole yearning and longing was to brandish a sword. He said: “Dear little mother, there is nothing for me to do at home, I want to go into the world and look for father.” “Good, good my dear son. Prepare yourself and go into the world. I also want to see father again.”


In the early morning hour, before the cock had crowed, the prince was on his way. Toward evening he reached a large wood and directly at the edge of this wood, he saw a man’s head. It was as large as a haystack and below the head lay a sword. He wanted to remove the sword but the head spoke: “Dear son, if instead you undertake to kill the magician who struck off my head with this sword, the sword will be yours, otherwise not.”














“Well and good Dear Head, I will help you. But can you not tell me where my father is?” “Dear son, when you have slain the magician and have returned to me, I will tell you where your father is. But listen well! The magician lives in a rocky cliff. Do not go to him as you are, but instead put on my armor and mount my steed. In the hollow of the that tree you will find armor and steed. And one more thing: stagger him a single blow, do not strike him twice. Otherwise, the miscreant will come back to life.”








“Well and good Dear Head, I will help you. But can you not tell me where my father is?” “Dear son, when you have slain the magician and have returned to me, I will tell you where your father is. But listen well! The magician lives in a rocky cliff. Do not go to him as you are, but instead put on my armor and mount my steed. In the hollow of the that tree you will find armor and steed. And one more thing: stagger him a single blow, do not strike him twice. Otherwise, the miscreant will come back to life.”





The prince mounted the swift-hooved steed and flew like the wind to the rocky cliff. He suffered the magician such a severe blow, that his head dropped to his shoulders but did not fall off entirely. The magician said: “Have pity on me and strike off my head completely, so I suffer no pain.” But the prince replied: “A true warrior hews only once. I will not hew a second time.”







“Then I must die at once for your are my superior,” the magician replied and drew his last breath. Prince and steed flew back to the Head, which said: “Be joyful for you have released me from the spell. I will help you in the future in every way you have helped me. Take my horse, for the horse runs in freedom and has the understanding of all wild things. In times of dire distress, beseech the horse three times and he will give you wise counsel. Now return home, for your father will also be on his way and will meet you there.” The prince turned his horse and in one leap he found himself home.






Prince and steed flew back to the Head, which said: “Be joyful for you have released me from the spell. I will help you in the future in every way you have helped me. Take my horse, for the horse runs in freedom and has the understanding of all wild things. In times of dire distress, beseech the horse three times and he will give you wise counsel. Now return home, for your father will also be on his way and will meet you there.” The prince turned his horse and in one leap he found himself home.




As the sun set behind the hills, the father's figure could be seen on the horizon. The mother was exceedingly happy. She embraced her husband. She embraced her son. Her joy found no bound or limit. And so they lived in peace and contentment for some time. But after a while the son said: “Father, let me go out into the world to seek my fortune and test my strength.” Good, the father was satisfied. He gave his son the swift-footed steed and escorted them to the border of his kingdom.

















Chapter 2: How the Horse Outfoxed River Witches and Forest Witches

The sun hung low in the sky when the prince and his swift-footed steed reached a luscious flower meadow. They rode through it and came to a gently rolling river. “We shall cross the river and go to the castle in the distance,” the prince said. But his horse replied: “The river is enchanted by witches. Once in the middle of the stream, the water would swell up so violently, it would devour us both. Take hold of my mane, we shall leap across instead.”



The youth took hold of his horse’s mane and in a single leap, both horse and rider reached the other side. With another leap they found themselves in the center of the forest. The youth looked around in amazement and saw majestic oaks and in a clearing, he could see a cabin. “Wait dear steed, for I long to find refreshment in that house I spy! I hear a wonderful and sweet song coming from within.” It was the enchanted song of witches, luring him to his doom.



The youth took hold of his horse’s mane and in a single leap, both horse and rider reached the other side. With another leap they found themselves in the center of the forest. The youth looked around in amazement and saw majestic oaks and in a clearing, he could see a cabin. “Wait dear steed, for I long to find refreshment in that house I spy! I hear a wonderful and sweet song coming from within.” It was the enchanted song of witches, luring him to his doom.









But the horse admonished the prince: "We must leave here. You shall not endeavor to reach that hut or we shall come to blows. Let us test our strength against each other and the winner will then decide where we go."


"Really?", the prince replied. "So it comes to this!" And the two engaged in a wrestling match.


“We must leave here,” the horse replied. “You shall not endeavor to reach that hut or we shall come to blows and the winner will then decide where we go.”


“Well let us try then,” the young man answered laughing. Both took hold of each other and a wrestling match ensued. As it happened, the young man was soon lying on the bottom. But the witches in stealth had encircled them whilst they wrestled. The steed said “Quickly jump to my back and hold fast to my mane! I shall kick our way free!” The powerful steed kicked with his hindquarters and pranced and jumped free of the forest with a single leap. Now prince and steed were well on their way and soon approached the castle of a foreign king, who had a beautiful daughter.