The Story Of Argilius And The Flame-king
: Arabic: Fairy Tales From All Nations
In a certain distant land once reigned a king and queen, who had three
daughters and one son. As the king and queen were talking one day
together about family matters, the king said to his consort: "Whenever
our daughters happen to marry we shall be obliged to give to each of
their husbands a portion of our kingdom, which will thereby be greatly
diminished; I think therefore that we cannot do better than marry them
all
another eight days, harvest will be over, and then we will celebrate
the nuptials."
The son overheard this discourse, and thought within himself, "that
shall never come to pass."
Now the king and queen having gone to a distant farm to superintend
the reapers, some one approached the window, knocked at it, and said
to the prince: "Little prince, I am come to marry your eldest sister."
The young prince replied: "Wait a moment, you shall have her
directly." He called his eldest sister, and as soon as she entered the
room, he caught her in his arms, and threw her out of the window. She
did not, however, fall to the ground, but on a golden bridge, which
was very, very long, in fact it reached to the sun. Her unknown lover
took her by the hand, and led her along the golden bridge to his
kingdom in the centre of the sun, for this unknown happened to be the
Sun-king.
About noon some one else knocked at the window and said, as the former
had done: "Little prince, I want to marry your second sister."
The little prince replied: "Wait a moment, you shall have her
directly." He went into his second sister's apartment, lifted her up,
and threw her out of the window. She did not fall to the ground
either, but into a chariot in the air. Four horses, which never ceased
snorting and prancing, were harnessed to it. The unknown placed
himself in the chariot, and as he brandished the whip, the clouds
spread themselves out so as to form a road, the rolling of the
chariot wheels was like a storm, and they disappeared in an instant.
The unknown was the Wind-king.
The little prince was right glad to think that he had already
established two sisters, and when toward evening some one else knocked
at the window, he said: "You need not speak, I know what you want:"
and out he threw his youngest sister. She fell into a silvery stream.
The unknown took her by the arm, and the waves bore her gently to the
moon, for her lover was no other than the Moon-king. The young prince
then went well pleased to bed.
When the king and queen returned the next day they were very much
surprised at hearing what their son had done; but as they had got
three such powerful sons-in-law, as the kings of the Sun, Wind, and
Moon, they were well satisfied, and said to the young prince: "See how
grand your sisters are become through their husbands. You must try
also to find some powerful queen to be your wife."
The prince answered: "I have already fixed on one Kavadiska, and no
other shall be my wife."
The king and queen were quite shocked at this audacious speech, and
endeavoured to dissuade him from the thought by all kinds of rational
arguments; as, however, they in no wise succeeded, they at length
said: "Well, then go forth, my son, and may Heaven guide thee in thy
rash enterprise."
The old king then took two bottles from his chest and gave them to his
son, with these words: "See, my son, this bottle contains the water of
life, and this the water of death. If thou sprinkle a corpse with the
water of life it will be restored to life, but if thou sprinkle a
living being with this water of death, it will immediately die. Take
these bottles, they are my greatest treasure; perhaps they may be
serviceable to thee." Now all the courtiers began to weep excessively,
especially the ladies, who were all very partial to the prince. He,
however, was very cheerful and full of hope, kissed the hands of his
royal parents, placed the bottles about his person, that of life on
the right side, and that of death on the left, girded on his sword,
and departed.
He had already wandered far when he reached a valley which was full of
slain men. The young prince took his bottle of the water of life and
sprinkled some in the eyes of one of the dead, who immediately rose
up, rubbed his eyes, and said: "Ha! how long I have been sleeping."
The king's son asked him, "What has taken place here?" to which the
dead man replied: "Yesterday we fought against Kavadiska and she cut
us all to pieces." The king's son said: "Since you were so weak as not
to be able to defend yourselves against a woman, you do not deserve to
live;" and then he sprinkled him with the water of death, on which the
man fell down again, dead, amongst the other corpses.
In the next valley lay a whole army in the same condition; the prince
again re-animated one of the dead, and inquired: "Did you also fight
against Kavadiska?" "Yes," returned the dead. "Why did you make war
upon her?" resumed the prince. "Know'st thou not," rejoined the dead,
"that our king desires to marry her, but that she will have no one for
her husband, but him who shall conquer her? We went out against her
with three armies: yesterday she destroyed one; this morning at
sunrise the second; and she is at this moment fighting against the
third?" The prince sprinkled the speaker with the water of death, and
immediately he also fell to the ground.
In the third valley lay the third host. The re-animated warrior said:
"The fight is only just now ended; Kavadiska has slain us all." "Where
shall I find her?" asked the prince. "Her castle is on the other side
of that mountain," replied the warrior, and sank down again as soon as
the prince sprinkled him.
Argilius--so was the prince called--crossed the mountain and came to
Kavadiska's castle. He entered. No one was within. In Kavadiska's
chamber hung a sword, which ceased not to spring out of its sheath and
then in again. "Ho, ho, since thou art so restless," thought Argilius,
"I will take possession of thee. Thou pleasest me better than my own
sword, which never stirs unless I wield it." So he took off his own
sword and exchanged it for the other. He had scarcely done so, when
Kavadiska suddenly stood before him. "Thou darest to intrude into my
castle?" exclaimed she; "draw then, thou must fight me." She snatched
the sword from the wall. Argilius drew the blade for which he had just
exchanged his own. They began to fight, but the first time their
swords crossed Kavadiska's broke off in the middle. Then she said
joyfully: "Thou art my bridegroom!" and fell on his neck, and kissed
and caressed him, and forthwith became his wife.
After they had lived some time happily together, Kavadiska said one
morning: "Beloved husband, I must leave thee for a short time. It is
the first and last time I shall ever separate from thee. In seven
times seven days I shall return, and thenceforth our life shall flow
on in uninterrupted happiness. Everything in the castle is at thy
command, only do not enter the furthest room; great misfortunes may
befall us if you do." Having said these words she vanished.
The time passed very heavily for Argilius after his wife had left him;
he wandered through the whole castle, till at last he came to the
furthest chamber. Being young and thoughtless he opened it. He saw
therein an old man, whose beard was fire; this was the Flame-king
Holofernes, but Argilius did not know who he was. The old man had
three iron hoops round his body, which bound him fast to the wall.
"Hail to thee, young man," said he; "see, my beard is flame; I am very
hot, give me a goblet of wine." Now, as Argilius was very kindly
disposed, he gave him a goblet; and as soon as he had drunk it, one of
the hoops round his body gave way. He chuckled and said: "Thou hast
greatly relieved me; give me now another goblet." Argilius did so, and
when the Flame-king had emptied that, another hoop gave way. He
chuckled again and said: "Twice hast thou given me wine, now give me
a goblet of water." And when Argilius had done as he was requested,
the third hoop sprang off, and the Flame-king disappeared.
Kavadiska had not performed half of her journey before Holofernes
stood by her side. He addressed her, and his beard waved in anger:
"Thou hast rejected me for thy husband, thou hast slain three of my
armies, thou hast detained me in prison: now thou art in my power; and
now not my wife, but the lowest of my servants shalt thou be." Since
her marriage with Argilius, Kavadiska had lost all her power,
therefore her resistance was in vain. In three leaps the Flame-king
had already borne her to his realm.
Seven times seven days passed, and Kavadiska did not return. Then
Argilius became very uneasy, and he resolved to go and see his three
brothers-in-law, and inquire if they could give him any information
where Kavadiska was. He arrived first at the Sun-king's palace, who
was just then coming home.
"Welcome, little brother-in-law," began he.
"Ah! dear brother-in-law," said Argilius, "I am in search of my wife
Kavadiska; know'st thou not where she is? Hast thou not seen her?"
"No," rejoined the Sun-king, "I have not seen her. Perhaps she is only
visible by night, and in that case thou must inquire of our
brother-in-law the Moon-king."
They then took refreshments together, and sat till night came on, when
Argilius went on to the Moon-king. He reached his palace just as the
Moon-king was about to begin his night wandering, and Argilius having
told what he wanted, the Moon-king replied:--
"I have not seen her; but come, join me in my nightly pilgrimage,
perhaps we shall discover her." They wandered all night, but did not
get sight of her. Then said the Moon-king:--
"It is now time for me to go home; but yonder comes our brother-in-law
the Wind-king; speak to him; he drives about everywhere, perhaps he
may have seen her."
The Wind-king stood beside them, and when he heard his little
brother-in-law's business, he said:--
"Assuredly I know where she is. The Flame-king, Holofernes, has got
her imprisoned in a subterranean cavern, and she is obliged to wash
all his kitchen utensils in the fiery stream, and as this makes her
very hot, I often waft a cooling breeze upon her."
"I thank thee, dear brother-in-law, for having given her some relief;
pray carry me to her," said Argilius.
"Right willingly," rejoined the Wind-king: so he gave a great puff,
and he and Argilius, together with the horse of the latter, stood the
next moment in the presence of his Kavadiska. Her joy was so great
that she let all the kitchen utensils fall into the fiery stream; but
Argilius, without stopping to talk much, lifted her on his horse and
rode off.
The Flame-king was at that time in his own apartment; he heard an
extraordinary noise in the stable, and on going into it he found his
horse Taigarot prancing, neighing, biting the manger, and pawing the
ground. Taigarot was a very peculiar kind of horse; he understood
human language, and could even speak, and he had nine feet!
"What mad tricks are you playing?" cried Holofernes; "have you not had
enough hay and oats, or have they not given you drink?"
"Oats and hay I have had in plenty," said Taigarot, "and drink, too;
but they have carried off Kavadiska from you."
The Flame-king shivered with rage.
"Be calm," said Taigarot; "you may even eat, drink, and sleep, for in
three bounds I will overtake her."
Holofernes did as his horse bade him, and when he had sufficiently
rested and refreshed himself, he mounted Taigarot, and in three bounds
overtook Argilius. He tore Kavadiska from his arms and cried out, as
he was springing home again:--
"Because you set me at liberty, I do not kill thee this time; but if
thou returnest once again, thou art lost."
Argilius went back very melancholy to his three brothers-in-law, and
related what had happened. They took counsel together, and then
said:--
"Thou must find a horse which is still swifter of foot than Taigarot;
there is, however, but one such horse existing, and he is Taigarot's
younger brother. It is true he has only four feet, but still he is
decidedly swifter than Taigarot."
"Where shall I find this horse?" inquired Argilius.
The brothers-in-law replied:--
"The witch Iron-nose keeps the horse concealed under-ground; go to
her, enter into her service, and demand the horse in lieu of other
wages."
"Carry me thither, dear brothers-in-law," said Argilius.
"Immediately," said the Sun-king; "but first accept this gift from thy
brothers-in-law, who love thee dearly."
With these words he gave him a little staff, which was half gold and
half silver, and which never ceased vibrating. It was made of
sunshine, moonshine, and wind.
"Whenever thou standest in need of us, stick this staff in the ground,
and immediately we shall be by thy side."
Then the Sun-king took his little brother-in-law on one of his beams,
and carried him for one day; then the Moon-king did the same for a
whole night, and finally the Wind-king carried him for a whole day and
a whole night too, and by that time he reached the palace of the witch
Iron-nose.
The palace of the witch was constructed entirely of deaths'-heads; one
only was wanting to complete the building. When the old woman heard a
knocking at her gate, she looked out of the window, and rejoiced: "At
last another!" exclaimed she, "I have waited three hundred years in
vain for this death's-head to complete my magnificent edifice: come
in, my good youth!"
Argilius entered, and was a little startled when he first beheld the
old woman, for she was very tall, very ugly, and her nose was of iron.
"I should like to enter your service," were his words.
"Well," replied she, "what wages do you ask?"
"The horse which you keep under-ground."
"You shall have him if you serve faithfully; if you fail however once
only, you shall be put to death."
"Very well."
"With me,"--these were witch Iron-nose's last words,--"with me the
year's service consists of only three days; you may begin your service
at once. You will attend to my stud in the meadow, and if in the
evening a single one is missing, you die."
She then led him to the stable. The horses were all of metal, neighed
terribly, and made the most surprising leaps.
"Attend to your business," said Iron-nose, and then locked herself in
her apartment. Argilius opened the covered enclosure, threw himself on
one of the metal horses and rushed out with the whole troop. They were
no sooner on the meadow, when the horse on which he rode threw him
into a deep morass, where he sank up to the breast. The whole troop
scattered themselves here and there, when Argilius stuck the little
staff his brothers-in-law had given him into the ground, and at once
the sun's rays struck with such heat on the morass, that it dried up
instantly, and the metal horses began to melt, and ran terrified back
to the shed. The witch was very much surprised when she saw they were
all driven in again. "To-morrow you must tend my twelve coursers,"
said she; "if you are not home again with the last rays of the sun,
you die: they are more difficult to manage than the metal horses."
"Do your duty," said Argilius, "I shall do mine."
The twelve coursers soon ran all different ways. Argilius set his
staff in the ground, and a fearful storm arose. The wind blew against
every horse, and let them rear and prance as they would, the wind got
the better of them, and they were all obliged to return to their
stable. Argilius immediately shut the stable door, and at that moment
the last rays of the sun went down just as Witch Iron-nose reached the
stable. She was quite astonished when she saw the horses and Argilius.
"If you do your work well this night, to-morrow you shall be free. Go
and milk the metal mares, and prepare a bath of the milk, which must
be ready with the first rays of the sun."
Argilius went to the metal shed, and as he had a misgiving that this
would prove the hardest task of all, he was about to set his staff in
the ground, when he was met by his brother-in-law, the Moon-king.
"I was seeking thee," said he. "I know already what thou needest.
Where my light shines, just by the metallic horses' shed, dig about
three spans deep, and thou wilt find a golden bridle, which, whilst
thou holdest in thy hand, will cause all the mares to obey thee."
Argilius did as he was desired, and all the metallic mares stood quite
still and suffered themselves to be milked. In the morning the bath
was ready, the smoke and steam rose up from the milk, which now
boiled. Witch Iron-nose said: "Place thyself in it."
"If I stand this trial," replied Argilius, "I shall ride away
immediately after; let the horse therefore be brought out for the
possession of which I bargained."
The horse instantly stood by the bath. It was small, ill-looking, and
dirty. As Argilius approached to enter the bath, the horse put his
head into the milk, and sucked out all the fire, so that Argilius
remained unhurt in it, and when he came out he was seven times
handsomer than before. Witch Iron-nose was much charmed by his
appearance, and thought within herself: "Now I in like manner will
make myself seven times handsomer than I am, and then I will marry
this youth."
She sprang into the bath. The horse, however, again put his head into
the milk, and blew back into it the fire he had previously sucked out,
and Witch Iron-nose was immediately scalded to death.
Argilius sprang on his horse and rode away. When they had got beyond
the Witch's domain, the horse said: "Wash me in this stream."
Argilius did so, and the horse became the colour of gold, and to each
hair hung a little golden bell. The horse at one leap cleared the sea,
and carried his master to the cave of the Flame-king. Kavadiska was
again standing by the side of the fiery stream, washing the kitchen
utensils.
"Come," cried Argilius, "I will rescue thee,"
"Ah!" exclaimed she, "Holofernes will slay thee if he overtakes thee."
Argilius had, however, already lifted her on his horse and ridden off.
Taigarot again set up a wonderful noise in his stable.
"What's the matter?" cried the Flame-king.
"Kavadiska has escaped," replied Taigarot.
"Well then, I will again eat, drink and sleep; in three bounds thou
wilt overtake her as before," said Holofernes.
"Not so," rejoined Taigarot, "mount me directly, and even then we
shall not overtake them. Argilius rides my younger brother, and he is
the swiftest horse in the whole world."
Holofernes buckled on his fire-spurs, and flew after the fugitives. It
is true, he got sight of them, but he could not come up with them.
Then the horse of Argilius turning back his head called out: "Why dost
thou let those fiery spurs be stuck in thy side, brother? They will
burn thy entrails, they are so long; and yet thou wilt never come up
with me. It would be much better that we should both serve one
master."
Taigarot perceived this, and the next time Holofernes stuck the spurs
in him, he threw the Flame-king. As they were very high up in the air,
(in fact, they were as high as the stars), Holofernes fell to the
ground with such force, that he broke his neck. As for Argilius, he
brought Kavadiska back to her castle, where they again celebrated
their nuptials, lived very happy; and, if they have not died since,
they live there to this very day.
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When Sa'-zada the Keeper had gathered all his comrades in front of Chita's cage for the evening of the Bird talk, Magh clambered up on her usual perch, Hathi's head, expostulating against the folly of throwing the meeting open to such gabblers. ... The Story Of Bitaram
In a certain village there lived seven brothers. The youngest of them planted a certain vegetable, and went every day to examine it to see how it was growing. For a long time there were only the stalk and leaves, but at length a flower appeared, a... The Story Of Corn And Tobacco
There was a powerful mahkai who had a daughter, who, tho old enuf, was unmarried, and who grew tired of her single life and asked her father to bury her, saying, we will see then if the men will care for me. And from her grave grew the plant tob... The Story Of Ee-ee-toy's Army
And after Ee-ee-toy was thru speaking Juhwerta Mahkai addressed him, and promised him his help, and that he would lead out to earth again his people, who had sunk down before the flood, that these might fight against the people whom Ee-ee-toy had ... The Story Of Hare
Once upon a time the animals made a kraal and put some fat in it. They agreed that one of their number should remain to be the keeper of the gate. The first one that was appointed was the coney (imbila). He agreed to take charge, and all the other... The Story Of Hathi Ganesh The White-eared Elephant
It was very hot. The Summer moon, pushing lazily through the whispering tracery of tall elm trees that cut the night sky, fell upon the same group of forest friends gathered in front of Tiger's cage that had been there the previous evening, when... The Story Of Hawawk
And when Dthas Seeven had gotten better he meditated on what had happened to him, and studied out that Seeollstchewadack-Seeven was the cause of his trouble, and planned how to get the better of him. Now the Indians have a game of football in wh... The Story Of Iphigenia
King Agamemnon sat in his tent at Aulis, where the army of the Greeks was gathered together, being about to sail against the great city of Troy. And it was now past midnight; but the king slept not, for he was careful and troubled about many thing... The Story Of Ivan And The Daughter Of The Sun
There were once upon a time four brethren, and three of them remained at home, while the fourth went out to seek for work. This youngest brother came to a strange land, and hired himself out to a husbandman for three gold pieces a year. For three ... The Story Of Jhore
There was a lad named Jhore, who herded goats, and every day while with his flock he saw a tiger and a lizard fight. The lizard always vanquished the tiger, and the latter after each encounter came to Jhore and said, "Which of us won?" Jhore throu... The Story Of Kara And Guja
There were two brothers named Kara and Guja. Guja, who was the elder did the work at home, and Kara was ploughman. One day the two went to the forest to dig edible roots. After they had been thus engaged for some hours, Kara said to Guja, "Look ... The Story Of Lelha
I. There once lived a certain raja, who had three wives. The two elder had two sons each, and the younger only one, whose name was Lelha. [12] The four sons of the first two wives were very friendly with each other, being seldom separate, but t... The Story Of Little Tsar Novishny The False Sister And The Faithful Beasts
Once upon a time, in a certain kingdom, in a certain empire, there dwelt a certain Tsar who had never had a child. One day this Tsar went to the bazaar (such a bazaar as we have at Kherson) to buy food for his needs. For though he was a Tsar, he h... The Story Of Nahvahchoo
Ee-ee-toy was once wandering along when he found some moss that had been left there ever since the flood, and he stood and looked at it, wondering how he could make it into a human being. And while he watched it the sun breathed on it, and it be... The Story Of Pahtahnkum
And when they came to their journey's end the wife of Kaw-koin-puh had a baby, which grew up to be a fine boy, but the mother cried all the time, where-ever she went, on account of her husband's death. And the people, after they had settled down... The Story Of Raj Bagh The King Tiger
While the Keeper Sa'-zada was still loitering over his tea, there came to his ears an imperious roaring call "Wah-h-h! Wah-h-h! Wah-houh!" "This is the Tiger's night, indeed," he muttered to himself. "Old Raj Bagh is eager to tell us the tale ... The Story Of Sa'-zada Zoo Keeper
It was the twelfth night of the Sa'-zada stories. For eleven evenings Tiger, and Leopard, and the others had told of their manner of life, with more or less relevancy. This night Sa'-zada, the little Master, was to speak of his jungle and forest e... The Story Of Sindura Gand Garur
In a certain village there lived a mother and her son. The boy tended goats in the forest. One day he found a spot of ground, where he thought rice would grow well. So he went home, and asked his mother to give him some seed to sow there. She said... The Story Of Sit And Bosont
There was a certain raja who had two sons named Sit and Bosont. Their mother the rani had been long ill, and the raja was greatly dejected on her account. From the bed on which she lay, the rani could see two sparrows who had made their nest in a ... The Story Of Sohahnee Mahkai And Kawkoinpuh
Now when the bands were going thru this country they had selected the places for their homes, expecting to return, and each band, as it selected its place, drove down short sticks so as to know it again. And after returning across the Rio Colora... The Story Of Tawquahdahmawks And Her Canal
And after this the people had long peace, increased in numbers, and were scattered all around. Some lived where the old vahahkkees now are in the Gila country, and some lived in the Papago country, and some in the Salt River country. And those who... The Story Of Tcheunassat Seeven
Stcheuadack Seeven wanted to gamble with Tcheunassat Seeven, who lived at Kawtkee Oyyeeduck, and sent a man with an invitation to come and play against him, and bring all his wives. And Tcheunassat Seeven said: "I will go, for my wives are used ... The Story Of The Bees And The Flies
There were once two tribes of little people who lived near together. They were not at all alike, for one of the tribes looked for food and carried it away to put it up safely for winter, while the other played and sang and danced all day long. ... The Story Of The Beginning
The people who lived long ago, in the far-off lands of the north, watched the wonderful things that happened out of doors every day, just as we do; but they did not know about the one loving God, who is the Father of all, who made them and the wor... The Story Of The Children Of Cloud
There was a woman who lived in the mountains, who was very beautiful, and had many suitors, but she never married anyone. And one day she was making mats of cane; and she fell asleep and a rain came and a drop fell on her navel. And she had t... The Story Of The Creation
In the beginning there was no earth, no water--nothing. There was only a Person, uh-wert-a-Mah-kai (The Doctor of the Earth). He just floated, for there was no place for him to stand upon. There was no sun, no light, and he just floated about in... The Story Of The Earth And The Sky
The sky used to be very close to the earth, and of course the earth had no sunshine. Trees did not grow, flowers did not blossom, and water was not clear and bright. The earth did not know that there was any other way of living, and so she did not... The Story Of The First Ants
"This jar is full of smoked flesh," said one voice. "This has fish, this is full of honey, and that one is almost running over with oil," said another voice. "We shall have all that we need to eat for many days to come." These are the words t... The Story Of The First Butterflies
The Great Spirit thought, "By and by I will make men, but first I will make a home for them. It shall be very bright and beautiful. There shall be mountains and prairies and forests, and about it all shall be the blue waters of the sea." As the... The Story Of The First Diamonds
The chief of an Indian tribe had two sons whom he loved very dearly. This chief was at war with another tribe, and one dark night two of his enemies crept softly through the trees till they came to where the two boys lay sound asleep. The warriors... The Story Of The First Emeralds
In the days of long ago there was a time when there were no emeralds on the earth. Men knew where to find other precious stones. They could get pearls and diamonds, but no one had ever seen an emerald, because the emeralds were hidden away in the ... The Story Of The First Frog
Once upon a time there was a man who had two children, a boy and a girl, whom he treated cruelly. The boy and the girl talked together one day, and the boy, Wah-wah-hoo, said to his sister, "Dear little sister, are you happy with our father?" "... The Story Of The First Grasshopper
In a country that is far away there once lived a young man called Tithonus. He was strong and beautiful. Light of heart and light of foot, he hunted the deer or danced and sang the livelong day. Every one who saw him loved him, but the one that lo... The Story Of The First Mocking-bird
Far away in the forest there once lived the most cruel man on all the earth. He did not like the Indians, and he said to himself, "Some day I will be ruler of them all." Then he thought, "There are many brave warriors among the Indians, and I must...