The Giants' Mountain And The Temple

: Temples and Priests
: Laos Folk-lore Of Farther India

In the time long since gone by, when the world was young, the men of a

large province desired to build a temple, a temple which might be seen

by men from afar. Their ground, however, was low, and there was no lofty

mountain on which they might rear it, and it was deemed wise by all to

entreat the giants, who lived in the far East, to help them bring the

earth together in one place for a mound.



Willingly d
d the giants consent to aid them, but asked, "Why labor to

dig the earth and pile it into a mound? Behold the high hills are ours,

with our strong arms we can remove the top from one of them and bring it

to you and you may rear your beautiful temple thereon, and all men can

see it. Go, therefore, and make ready your bricks and mortar, bringing

to one place all the materials which you will require, whilst we carry

one of our mountains to you for your use."



The giants went their way to bring a mountain-top from the far East to

the plains near the city. Day after day they labored and moved the

mountain top a great distance, but the people neither helped them nor

did they even commence to prepare the materials for the temple. As the

giants toiled, word was brought them that the people were sitting in

idleness on the ground.



"Come help us, or gather the materials together," the giants sent word.



"You, yourselves, offered to carry the mountain-top to us. Your words

are stronger than your deeds. You say you will aid us, then ask us to

help you," the people replied. This they said, thinking to goad the

giants on to the labor of bringing the mountain-top to the desired

place.



"We offered to aid you," retorted the giants, "but you sit and watch

while we do all. Had you done your part, we would have done ours. Now,

you shall labor, and we, from our high mountain, will laugh at you."



Thereupon they left the work and sought their homes, and wearily did the

men of the plains dig the earth, carrying it in small loads into one

place to build the mound, and sadly did they look toward the East, where

they could see the mountain-top the giants had carried such a distance

to them, and most bitterly did they repent not having done their share.



The temple is builded now, and from afar the people can see the gleam of

the spire when the eye of day first opens in the East, or closes in the

West, and, to this day the mountain-top lies there far distant from the

mountain range and equally far distant from the city of the plains, and

the people point it out to strangers, saying, "If you ask aid from

others, it is well to put your own heart into the work."



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