0:01

Cool Zone Media

0:10

book Club book Club book

0:13

CLUBO, Hello

0:16

and welcome to Cool Zone Media book Club, the

0:18

only book club that you don't need to do the reading

0:20

for. Well, actually,

0:23

I've been in a lot of book clubs where I don't do the

0:25

reading, but don't tell

0:27

anyone in any of

0:29

my previous book clubs about

0:31

that. The reason you don't

0:33

have to do your reading is that I'm going to do your reading.

0:36

I'm your host, Margaret Kildre, and

0:38

every week I bring you a different fiction

0:41

story or sometimes, like

0:44

today, three different fairy

0:46

tales. So

0:48

it's no secret that I like stories. It's

0:50

no secret that I think stories matter. Nonfiction

0:53

has its value, and very little work is needed

0:55

to defend the value of nonfiction. But

0:58

stories, people think that they're just silly things,

1:00

so I'm going to defend them.

1:03

Stories are the smithy in which we forge our sense

1:06

of who we can be, the tool by which

1:08

we open up possible futures. That's

1:10

often what I focus on. But they're also one

1:12

of the best glimpses into people and cultures. And it's

1:14

for this reason that I love folk stories so much.

1:18

The great novels or whatever, they're

1:20

great. It's in the name great novels,

1:23

but the folk stories, usually anonymous,

1:25

are usually the source of all the most interesting ideas,

1:27

tropes, and archetypes. As a history

1:30

podcaster, find myself drawn again and again

1:32

to the nineteenth century, in particular because

1:34

the nineteenth century is when all sorts of ideas and social

1:36

movements really coalesced. Anti

1:38

capitalism, for example, had been growing

1:41

up alongside capitalism for centuries, but

1:43

in the nineteenth century it formed into ideologies.

1:47

The twentieth centuries when those hypotheses, those

1:49

ideologies were tested, and now it's the twenty

1:52

first century, and what we've got to do is analyze

1:54

the results of those tested hypotheses

1:57

and then make some adjustments and then

1:59

try again. But the

2:01

nineteenth centuries where the current era began, at least

2:04

as I understand things, And

2:06

one thing that was happening in the nineteenth century

2:09

was the rise of folklorists. It

2:11

was an era where people just went around and were like, oh,

2:13

maybe we should write some of the shit down

2:15

that people have been saying for uncountable

2:18

generations. And I've run

2:20

across this time and time again in my research, like

2:22

just different countries will be well,

2:24

rather different languages and different groups of people

2:26

will be doing this because also this

2:29

era is kind of the rise of

2:31

the concept of the state, which

2:34

is also something I'm not really excited

2:36

about, but that's unrelated. More

2:39

recently, I've been doing a lot of reading about various

2:41

Slavic cultures, especially Ukraine and Russia,

2:44

which are of course themselves amalgamations

2:46

of various cultures. So

2:49

I first thought I would read you some Ukrainian folk

2:51

tales this week. But then I was like, well,

2:54

one of the people I've been studying lately is

2:56

a Cossack, which is an ethnic group

2:58

mostly known for being mercenary and nomadic

3:01

horse writers, And so I was like, all right,

3:03

why not go with some Cossack folk stories,

3:06

and this week I'm going to read you three of

3:08

them. Saves me the trouble of doing the weird ad

3:10

transitions in the middle of the story.

3:13

These are from a nineteen sixteen translation

3:15

of a book called Cossack Fairy Tales, translated

3:18

by R. Nisbit Bane from the Ruthenian

3:21

language. Most of these were

3:23

collected by folklorists in the eighteen fifties

3:25

and eighteen seventies. I couldn't

3:27

promise you that these stories are specifically Cossack

3:30

only that someone labeled them as such in the nineteen

3:32

sixteen translation, and that they're from

3:35

the Ruthenian language,

3:37

and also shout out to Jack, who's

3:39

the person who got me to buy my first

3:41

book of Ukrainian folklore. I don't know if you're

3:43

listening, but if you are, thanks.

3:46

The first story is called

3:49

the story of Ivan and the Daughter

3:51

of the Sun. There

3:55

were once upon a time for brethren, and

3:57

three of them remained at home, while the fourth went

3:59

out to seek for work. The

4:01

youngest brother came to a strange land and hired

4:04

himself out to a husbandman for

4:06

three gold pieces a year. For

4:08

three years he served his master faithfully,

4:11

so at the end of his time he departed with

4:13

nine gold pieces in his pocket. The

4:16

first thing he now did was to go to

4:18

a spring, and into the spring he

4:20

threw three of his gold pieces. Let

4:23

us see, now, said he, If I have

4:25

been honest, they will come swimming back

4:27

to me. Then he lay down

4:29

by the side of the spring and went fast asleep.

4:32

How long he slept there, who can tell, But

4:35

at any rate, he woke up at last

4:37

and went to the spring, and there was no sign

4:39

of his money to be seen. Then

4:41

he threw three more of his gold pieces

4:43

into the spring, and again he lay

4:46

down by the side of it and slept. Then

4:48

he got up and went and looked into the spring, and

4:50

still there was no sign of the money.

4:53

So he threw his three remaining gold pieces,

4:56

and again lay down and slept. The

4:58

third time he arose, looked into the spring,

5:01

and there, sure enough was all

5:03

his money. All nine of the gold pieces

5:05

were floating on the surface of the water. And

5:09

now his heart felt lighter, and he

5:11

gathered up the nine gold pieces and went

5:13

on his way. On the road.

5:15

He fell in with three Kotsapi with a laden

5:17

wagon. Kotsapi is a word

5:20

used in this context to mean Russians because

5:22

the it's like harry. I think it means

5:24

like bear or goat or something. But the

5:27

Ruthenians were clean shaven and the Russians

5:29

were harry, so it's a probably

5:31

not a super polite word. He

5:34

asked them concerning their wares, and

5:36

they said they were carrying a load of incense. He

5:38

begged them straight away to sell him this incense.

5:42

Then they sold it to him for the gold pieces. And

5:45

when he had bought it and they had departed,

5:47

he kindled fire and burnt the incense

5:50

and offered it up to God as a sweet

5:52

smelling sacrifice. Then

5:54

an angel flew down to him and said, oh

5:57

thou that hast offered this sweet smelling sacrifice

5:59

to God, what dost thou want for thine own

6:02

self? Dost thou want azardam or

6:04

great riches? Or perchance

6:06

the desire of thy heart is a good wife? Speak

6:09

for God will give thee whatsoever

6:11

thou desirest. When

6:14

the man had listened to the angel, he said

6:17

to him, terry a while, I will go

6:19

and ask those people who are plowing yonder. Now,

6:23

those people who are plowing there were his

6:25

own brethren, but he did not know that they were

6:27

his brethren. So he went up and said

6:29

to the elder brother, tell me, uncle,

6:31

what shall I ask of God? Azardam

6:33

or great riches or a good wife? Tell

6:36

me which of the three is the best gift to ask

6:38

for? And his eldest brother said to him,

6:41

I know not, and who does know? Go

6:43

and ask someone else. So

6:46

he went to the second brother, who is plowing a little

6:48

farther on. He asked him the same question. But

6:50

the man only shrugged his shoulders and said he did not know.

6:52

Either. Then he went to the third

6:54

brother, who is the youngest of the three, and also

6:57

plowing there, and he asked

6:59

him, saying, tell me now, which

7:01

is the best gift to ask of God? A zardam,

7:04

or great riches or a good wife?

7:07

And the third brother said, what a question.

7:09

Thou art too young for a zardam and great riches.

7:11

Last, but for a little while, ask God

7:14

for a good wife. For if it please

7:16

God to give THEE a good wife, tis a gift

7:18

that will bless THEE all thy life long. So

7:21

he went back to the angel and asked for a good wife.

7:24

Then he went on his way till he came to a certain

7:26

wood, and looking about him, he perceived

7:29

that in this wood was a lake. And

7:31

while he was looking at it, three wild

7:33

doves came flying along and lit down upon

7:36

this lake. They

7:38

threw off their plumage and plunged into the

7:40

water. And then he saw that they

7:42

were not wild doves, but three

7:44

fair ladies. They bathed in

7:46

the lake, and in the meantime the youth crept up

7:48

and took the raiment of one of them and hid it behind

7:50

the bushes. When they came out of the water,

7:53

the third lady missed her clothes. The

7:55

youth said to her, I know where thy clothes

7:57

are, but I will not give them to THEE. Thou

8:00

wilt be my wife. Good,

8:02

cried she, thy wife, I shall be. Then

8:06

she dressed herself, and they went together to the nearest

8:08

village. When they got there, she said

8:10

to him, now go to the nobleman

8:12

who owns the land here, and beg him for a place

8:14

where we may build us a hut. So

8:17

he went right up to the nobleman's castle and entered

8:19

his reception room, and said, Glory

8:21

be to God forever and ever. Replied

8:23

the nobleman, what dost thou

8:25

want here, Ivan, I have come,

8:28

sir, to beg of THEE a place where

8:30

I may build me a hut, A place

8:32

for a hut. Day good, very good,

8:34

Go home, and I'll speak to my overseer,

8:36

and he shall appoint THEE a place. So

8:39

he returned from the nobleman's castle, and

8:41

his wife said to him, go now into the

8:44

forest and cut down an oak, a young oak that

8:46

thou canst span round with both arms.

8:49

So he cut down such an oak as his wife had told

8:51

him of, and she built a hut of the

8:53

oak, for the overseer had come and

8:55

shown them a place where they might build their hut.

8:58

But when the overseer returned home, he praised laud

9:00

to his master. The wife of this Ivan, she

9:03

is such and such, said he. Fair

9:05

she may be, replied the nobleman, but

9:07

she is another's. She need not

9:10

be another's for long, replied the overseer,

9:12

This Ivan is in our hands. Let

9:15

us send him to see why it is the sun

9:17

grows so red when it sets. That's

9:19

just the same as if you had sent him to a place, whence

9:22

he can never return. All

9:24

the better. Then they sent for

9:26

Ivan and gave him this errand, and he returned

9:28

home to his wife, weeping bitterly. Then

9:31

his wife asked him all about it, and said, well,

9:33

I can tell THEE all about the ways of the sun,

9:35

for I am the son's own daughter. So

9:38

now I'll tell THEE the whole matter. Go

9:40

back to this nobleman and say to him that the

9:42

reason why the sun turned so red as he

9:44

sets is this. Just as the sun

9:47

is going down into the sea, three

9:49

fair ladies rise out of it, and it

9:51

is the sight of them which makes him turn

9:53

so red all over. So

9:55

we went back and told them, Oh, ho, cried

9:58

they. If you can go as far as that, you

10:00

may now go a little farther. So

10:02

they told him to go to Hell and see

10:04

how it was there. Yes, said

10:06

his wife, I know the road that leads to

10:08

Hell also very well. But the

10:10

nobleman must let his overseer go with THEE,

10:13

or else he never will believe that thou really

10:16

didst go to Hell. So the nobleman

10:18

told us overseer that he must go to Hell too.

10:21

So they went together, and when they got

10:23

there, the rulers of Hell laid hands

10:25

upon the overseer straight away. Thou

10:28

dog roared, They we've been looking

10:30

out for thee for some time. So

10:33

Ivan returned without the overseer, and the

10:35

nobleman said to him, where's my

10:37

overseer? I left him in

10:39

Hell, said Ivan, And

10:41

they said there that they were waiting for you, sir

10:44

too. When the nobleman

10:46

heard this, he hanged himself. But

10:49

Ivan lived happily with his wife,

10:53

much like you can live happily if

10:56

you listen to our sponsors,

10:59

hopefully none of which is a

11:02

wife given to you by the son.

11:05

I don't know, or maybe it would be cool. Who's

11:08

to say, and

11:18

we're back. This

11:21

next story is called the

11:24

Ungrateful Children and the Old Father who

11:26

went to school again. Once

11:30

upon a time there was an old man. He lived

11:32

to a great age, and God gave him children, whom he

11:34

brought up to man's estate, and he divided all his

11:36

goods amongst them. I will pass my

11:38

remaining days among my children, thought he. So

11:42

the old man went to live with his eldest son. And

11:44

at first the eldest son treated him properly and did

11:46

reverence to his old father. Tis

11:48

but meet and write that we should give our father

11:51

to eat and drink, and see that he has wherewithal

11:53

to clothe him, and take care to patch up

11:55

his things from time to time, and let him have clean

11:57

new shirts on festivals, said the eldest

12:00

son. So they did so, and at

12:02

festivals also the old father had his own

12:04

glass beside him. Thus

12:06

the eldest son was a good son

12:08

to his old father. But when the eldest

12:11

son had been keeping his father for some time, he began

12:13

to regret his hospitality and was

12:15

rough to his father, and sometimes even

12:17

shouted at him. The old

12:19

man no longer had his own set place

12:21

in the house, as heretofore, and there was none

12:24

to cut up his food for him. So the

12:26

eldest son repented him that he had said

12:28

he would keep his father, and he began to grudge

12:30

him for every morsel of bread

12:32

he put in his mouth. The

12:35

old man had nothing for it but to go to his second

12:37

son. It might be better for him there

12:39

or worse. But stay with the eldest son any

12:41

longer he could not, So the father

12:43

went to his second son. But here the old man soon

12:46

discovered that he had only exchanged wheat

12:48

for straw. Whenever he began

12:50

to eat, his second son and his daughter in law

12:52

looked sour and murmured something between

12:54

their teeth. The woman scolded

12:57

the old man. We had as much

12:59

as we could do before to make both ends meet,

13:01

cried she, And now we have an old

13:03

man to keep into the bargain. The

13:05

old man soon had enough of it there

13:07

also, and went on to his next son.

13:10

So, one after another, all four sons

13:12

took their father to live with them, and he was

13:14

glad to leave them all. Each of the

13:16

four sons, one after the other, cast the burden

13:18

of supporting him on one of the other brothers.

13:21

It is for him to keep thee daddy said they

13:24

and the other would say, nay, Dad, But

13:26

it is as much as we can do to keep

13:29

ourselves. Thus,

13:31

between his four sons he knew not what

13:33

to do. There's quite a battle among

13:35

them as to which of them should

13:37

not keep their old father. One

13:39

had one good excuse, and another had another,

13:42

and so none of them would keep him.

13:44

This one had a lot of little children,

13:46

and that one had a scold for a wife. And

13:49

this house was too small, and that house

13:51

was too poor. Go where thou wilt,

13:53

old man said, they only don't come to

13:55

us. And so the old man, gray,

13:58

gray, gray as a dove, he wept

14:01

before his sons and knew not whither

14:03

to turn. What could he do. Entreaty

14:06

was in vain. Not one of the sons would

14:08

take the old man in, and yet he had to

14:10

be put somewhere. Then the old man

14:12

strove with them no more, but let them do

14:14

with him even as they would.

14:18

So all four sons met and took counsel.

14:21

Time after time they laid their heads

14:23

together, and at last they agreed among

14:25

themselves that the best thing the old

14:27

man could do was go to school.

14:30

There'll be a bench for him to sit upon there, said

14:33

they, and he can take something to eat in

14:35

his knapsack. Then they

14:37

told the old man about it. But the old man did

14:39

not want to go to school. He begged

14:41

his children not to send him there, and wept

14:43

before them. Now that I cannot

14:45

see the white world, said he, how can I

14:47

see a black book? Moreover,

14:49

from my youth upward, I have never learnt my letters?

14:52

How shall I begin to do so? Now? A

14:54

clerk cannot be fashioned out of an old man on

14:56

the point of death. But there was no

14:59

use talking his children, and said he must go to

15:01

school. And the voices of his children prevailed

15:03

against his feeble old voice. So

15:05

to school he had to go. Now,

15:08

there was no church in that village, so he had to

15:10

go to the village beyond it to go to school. A

15:13

forest lay along the road, and in

15:15

this forest the old man met a nobleman driving

15:18

along. When the old

15:20

man came near the nobleman's carriage, he stepped

15:22

out of the road to let it pass, took off his

15:24

hat respectfully, and then would have gone

15:26

on further. But he heard

15:28

someone calling, and looking back, saw

15:31

the nobleman beckoning to him. He wanted

15:33

to ask him something. The

15:35

nobleman then got out of his carriage and asked

15:37

the old man whither he was going. The

15:40

old man took off his hat to the nobleman

15:42

and told him all his misery, and the

15:44

tears ran down the old man's cheeks.

15:47

Woe is to me, gracious sir, if

15:49

the Lord had left me without kith

15:51

and kin, I should not complain. But

15:53

strange, indeed is the woe that has

15:55

befallen me. I have four sons,

15:58

thank God, and all four have houses

16:00

of their own, and yet they send their poor

16:02

old father to school to learn. Was

16:05

ever the like of it known before? So

16:08

the old man told the nobleman his whole story,

16:10

and the nobleman was full of compassion for the old

16:12

man. Well, old man

16:14

said, he tis no use for THEE

16:16

to go to school. That's plain. Return

16:18

home. I'll tell THEE what to do, so

16:20

that thy children shall never send THEE to school

16:23

again. Fear not, old man, weep

16:25

no more, and let not thy soul

16:27

be troubled. God shall bless THEE,

16:29

and all will be well. I know well

16:31

ought what to be done here. So

16:34

the nobleman comforted the old man, and the old man

16:36

began to be merry. Then the nobleman

16:39

took out his purse. It was a real nobleman's

16:41

purse, with a little sack in the middle of it to hold

16:43

small change. Lord, what a lovely

16:46

thing it was. The more he looked at

16:48

it, the more the old man marveled at it.

16:51

The nobleman took out this purse and began filling

16:53

it with something. When he had

16:55

well filled it, he gave it to the old man.

16:58

Take this and go home to thy children, said

17:00

he. And when thou hast got home,

17:03

call together all thy four sons, and

17:05

say to them, my dear children.

17:07

Long long ago, when I was younger than

17:09

I am now, and knocked about in a world a

17:12

bit, I made a little money. I

17:14

won't spend it, I said to myself, for

17:16

one never knows what may happen. So

17:18

I went into a forest my children, and dug

17:20

a hole beneath an oak, and there I hid

17:23

my little store of money. I did not bother

17:25

much about the money afterward, because I had such

17:27

good children. But when you sent me

17:29

to school, I came to this self same oak,

17:31

and I said to myself, I wonder if these

17:33

few silver pieces have been waiting

17:36

for their master all this time let

17:38

us dig and see.

17:40

So I dug and found them, and have brought

17:42

them home to you, my children. I shall

17:44

keep them till I die, But after my death

17:47

consult together, and whosoever

17:49

shall be found. I've cherished me most, and

17:51

taking care of me most, and not grudged

17:54

me a clean shirt now and then, or

17:56

a crust of bread when I'm hungry to

17:58

him, shall be given them greater part of my

18:01

money. So now, my dear children,

18:03

receive me back again, and my thanks

18:05

shall be yours. You can manage it amongst

18:07

yourselves, For surely does not write that

18:10

I should seek a home amongst strangers. Which

18:12

of you will be so kind to your old father for

18:15

money?

18:18

So the old man returned to his children with the

18:20

purse and a casket. I'm going to interject

18:22

and say that a casket in the old

18:24

timey sense means like a little box to hold

18:26

something valuable. And

18:30

when he came to the village with a casket under his

18:32

arm, one could see at once that he had been in a good

18:34

forest. There's a footnote in the original

18:36

text here that says that good forest

18:39

in this context means a place

18:41

where you found a bunch of money, which

18:43

is you know, a good forest. When

18:47

one comes home with a heavy casket under one's

18:49

arm, depend upon it. There's something

18:51

in it. So no sooner did the

18:53

old man appear than his eldest daughter in

18:55

law came running out to meet him and bade him

18:57

welcome. In God's name. Things

18:59

don't don't seem to get on at all without thee

19:02

dad cried she. And the house is

19:04

quite dreary. Come in and rest, dad,

19:06

She went on, thou hast gone a long

19:08

way and must be weary. Then

19:10

all the brothers came together, and the old man

19:12

told them what God had done for him. All

19:15

their faces brightened as they looked at the casket,

19:17

and they thought to themselves, if we keep

19:20

him, we shall have the money. Then

19:22

the four brothers could not make too much of their

19:24

dear old father. They took care of him,

19:26

and the old man was happy, But he took heed

19:29

to the counsel of the nobleman, and never let the

19:31

casket out of his hand. After

19:33

my death, you shall have everything, but I won't give

19:35

it to you now, for who knows what may happen.

19:37

I have seen already how you treated your old father when

19:40

he had nothing. It shall all be yours,

19:42

I say, only wait, and when I die, take

19:44

it and divide it as I have said. So

19:47

the brothers tended their father, and the old man

19:49

lived in Clover and was somebody.

19:51

He had his own way and did nothing.

19:55

So the old man was no longer ill treated by

19:57

his children, but lived among them like an emperor

19:59

in his own empire. But no sooner

20:02

did he die than his children made what

20:04

haste they could to lay hand upon the casket.

20:07

All the people were called together and bore witness

20:10

that they had treated their father well since he came

20:12

back to them. So it was adjudged

20:14

that they should divide the treasure amongst them.

20:17

But first they took the old man's body to the church,

20:19

and the casket along with it. They buried

20:22

him as God commands. They

20:24

made a rich banquet of funeral meats that

20:26

all might know how much they mourned the old

20:29

man. It was a splendid funeral.

20:31

When the priest got up from the table, the people

20:33

all began to thank their hosts, and the

20:36

eldest son begged the priest to say the sore

20:38

coast in the church for the repose of the dead man's

20:40

soul. The sore coast is like a well

20:43

to prayer for the dead, which it probably could have

20:45

inferred. But there's a footnote about it. Such

20:49

a dear old fellow he was, said, he was

20:52

there ever anyone like him? Take this money

20:54

for the sore coast, Reverend father, So

20:57

horribly grieved was that eldest son. The

21:00

son gave the priest money, and the second

21:02

son gave him the like. Nay, each one

21:04

gave him money for an extra half sore coast,

21:07

and all four gave him requiem money. We'll

21:09

have our prayers in church for our father, though

21:12

we shall sell the last sheep to pay for

21:14

them, cried they. Then, when

21:17

all was over, they hastened as fast as they could

21:19

to the money. The coffer was brought

21:21

forth. They shook it. There

21:23

was a fine rattling inside.

21:25

Every one of them felt and handled the coffer

21:28

that was something like a treasure. Then

21:30

they unsealed it and opened it and scattered

21:32

the contents, and it was full

21:34

of nothing but glass. They

21:37

wouldn't believe their eyes. They rummaged

21:39

among the glass, but there was no money. It

21:41

was horrible. Surely it could not

21:43

be that their father had dug up a coffer from beneath

21:46

an oak of the forest, and it was full of nothing but

21:48

glass. Why, cried the

21:50

brothers, Our father has left us nothing

21:52

but glass. But for the crowds

21:54

of people there, the brothers would have fallen upon

21:57

and beaten each other in their wrath. So

21:59

the children of the old man saw that their father had

22:01

made fools of them. Then all the people

22:03

mocked them. You see what you

22:05

gained by sending your father to school? You

22:08

see he learned something at school. After all,

22:10

he was a long time before he began

22:12

learning. But better late than never. It

22:15

appears to us twas a right good school you

22:17

sent him to. No doubt, they whipped him into learning

22:20

so much. Never mind, you can keep the

22:22

money in the casket. Then

22:24

the brothers were full of lamentation and rage.

22:27

But what could they do. Their father was

22:29

already dead and buried. And

22:33

if you want to spend your meaningless bobbles,

22:36

you can spend them on these

22:39

meaningless bobbles.

22:50

And we're back. I've got one more story

22:52

for you from the same book.

22:55

This story is called the Serpent

22:58

Wife.

23:02

There once was a gentleman who had a laborer

23:04

who never went about in company. His

23:07

fellow servants did all they could to make him

23:09

come with them, and now and then

23:11

enticed him into the tavern, but they can

23:13

never get him to stay there long, and he always

23:15

wandered away by himself through the woods. One

23:18

day he went strolling about in the forest as

23:21

usual, far from any village and the haunts

23:23

of men, when he came upon a huge

23:25

serpent, which wriggled straight up to him

23:27

and said, I'm going to eat thee on

23:29

the spot. But the laborer,

23:32

who is used to the loneliness of the forest, replied,

23:34

very well, eat me, if thou hast a

23:37

mind to Then the serpent

23:39

said, nay, I will not eat thee.

23:41

Only do what I tell thee. And the

23:43

serpent began to tell the man what he had to

23:45

do. Turn back home, it said,

23:47

and thou wilt find thy master angry

23:50

because thou hast tarried so long and

23:53

there was none to work for him, so

23:55

that his corn has to remain standing in

23:57

the field. Then he will send thee

23:59

to bring in his sheaves, and I shall

24:01

help thee load the wagon

24:03

well, But don't take quite all

24:05

the sheaths from the field, leave

24:08

one little sheaf behind. More

24:10

than that thou needst not leave, but

24:12

that thou must leave. Then beg

24:15

thy master to let thee have this little sheaf

24:17

by a way of wages. Take

24:19

no money from him but that one little

24:21

sheaf. Only then, when thy master

24:24

has given thee this sheath, burn

24:26

it and a fair lady will leap out of it,

24:28

take her to wife.

24:31

The laborer obeyed and went

24:33

and worked for his master. As the serpent had told

24:35

him, he went out into the field to bring

24:37

home his master's corn, and marvelously he

24:40

managed it. He did all the carrying himself,

24:42

and loaded the wagon so heavily that it creaked

24:44

beneath its burden. Then, when he had

24:46

brought home all his master's corn, he begged

24:48

that he might have the remaining little sheaf for

24:50

himself. He refused to be rewarded

24:53

for his smart labor. He would take no money.

24:55

He wanted nothing for himself, he said, but

24:57

the little sheaf he had left in the field. So

25:00

his master let him have the sheaf. So

25:03

he went out by himself into the field, burnt

25:05

the sheaf, and just as the serpent

25:07

had told him, and immediately a

25:09

lovely lady leapt out of it. The

25:11

laborer forthwith took and married her.

25:14

And now he began to look out for a place to build

25:16

him a hut. Upon his master

25:18

gave him a place where he might build a hut, And

25:21

his wife helped him so much with the building of

25:23

it that it seemed to him as if he

25:25

himself never laid a hand to it. His

25:27

hut grew up as quick as thought, and it contained everything

25:30

they wanted. The man could not understand

25:32

it. He could only walk about and wonder at it.

25:35

Wherever he looked there was everything quite

25:37

spick and span and ready for use. None

25:39

in the whole village had a better house than he.

25:43

And so he might have lived in all peace

25:46

and prosperity to the end of his days, had not his

25:48

desires outstripped his deserts.

25:51

He had three fields of standing corn, And

25:53

when he came home one day, his laborers said to him,

25:56

thy corn is not gathered in yet, though it is standing

25:58

all ripe on its stalks. Now

26:00

the season was getting on, and for all

26:02

the care and labor of his wife, the corn was still

26:05

standing in the field. Why what's

26:07

the meaning of this? Thought he Then,

26:09

in his anger, he cried, I see how

26:11

it is once a serpent, always

26:13

a serpent. He was quite beside

26:16

himself all the way home, and he was very

26:18

wrath with his wife because of the corn.

26:22

When he got home, he went straight to his

26:24

chamber to lie down on his pillow. There

26:26

was no sign of his wife, but a

26:28

huge serpent was just coiling itself

26:31

round and round and settling

26:33

down in the middle of the pillow. Then

26:35

he called to mind how once his wife

26:38

had said to him, beware, for

26:40

Heaven's sake of ever calling me a serpent.

26:42

I will not suffer thee to call me by that name.

26:45

And if thou dost, thou shalt lose thy wife.

26:48

He called this to mind now, but it was already too late.

26:51

What he had said could not be unsaid. Then

26:54

he reflected what a good wife he had had, and

26:57

how she herself had sought him out,

26:59

and how she had waited upon him continually

27:01

and done him boundless good, and yet

27:04

he had not been able to refrain his tongue, so that

27:06

now maybe he would be without

27:08

a wife for the rest of his days. His heart grew

27:10

heavy within him as he thought of all this, and

27:13

he wept bitterly at the harm he had done to himself.

27:16

Then the serpent said to him, weep

27:18

no more. What is to be must

27:20

be? Is it thy standing

27:22

corn? Thou art grieved about? Go up

27:24

to thy barn, and there thou wilt find all

27:27

thy corn, lying to the very last little

27:29

grain? Have I not brought it all home

27:31

and threshed it for thee? And said, everything in order?

27:34

And now I must depart to the place where thou didst

27:36

first find me. Then

27:39

she crept off, and the man followed her, weeping

27:41

and mourning all the time as for

27:43

one already dead. When they reached

27:45

the forest, she stopped and coiled herself round

27:48

and round beneath a hazel nut bush.

27:50

Then she said to the man, now

27:52

kiss me once, but see to it that

27:55

I do not bite thee. Then he

27:57

kissed her once, and she wound herself

27:59

around branch of a tree and asked him,

28:02

what dost thou feel within thee?

28:04

He answered, at the moment when

28:06

I kissed thee, it seemed to me as

28:09

if I knew everything that was going on in the world.

28:11

Then she said to him again, kiss me

28:14

a second time. And what dost

28:16

thou feel now? She asked? When he had kissed

28:18

her again, Now said he, I

28:20

understand all languages which are spoken among

28:23

men. Then she said to him,

28:25

now kiss me a third time. This

28:27

will be for the last time. Then

28:30

he kissed the serpent for the last time, and

28:32

she said to him, what dost thou feel

28:34

now? Now? Said he, I

28:37

know all that is going on under the earth. Go

28:40

now, said she to the Tsar, And

28:42

he will give thee his daughter for the knowledge thou

28:44

hast. But pray to God for poor

28:47

me. For now I must be and remain a serpent

28:49

forever. And with that the

28:51

serpent uncoiled herself and disappeared among

28:53

the bushes. But the man went away

28:55

and wedded the Tsar's daughter the

28:59

end. I

29:01

really like those stories because I feel like they

29:04

step out of expectations.

29:06

There are like morals in these stories, right,

29:09

listen to your wife, don't be

29:11

a shit to your dad. I

29:13

like to imagine the dad's story was like made

29:16

up by a dad as like a little moral tale

29:18

for his kids, you know, just ahead of time or

29:20

whatever. But there's still not

29:23

quite as like heavy handed of moral stories

29:25

as some of the other fairies tales that I've read.

29:29

Anyway, thanks for listening and join

29:31

us next week for Cool Zone Media book Club. I'm

29:33

Margaret Kiljoy. I write

29:36

fiction. I have a book called The Sapling Cage

29:38

that comes out in September, and that's going to be kickstarted

29:40

in June twenty twenty four. And

29:43

if you want more information about that, you

29:45

can search Kickstarter the

29:47

Sapling Cage and you will find

29:49

a place to sign up for notifications

29:52

when that kickstarter goes live so that you can pre

29:54

order it. If you liked these stories,

29:56

you'll totally love my story

29:59

about trends which coming of age in a high

30:01

fantasy world. See

30:04

you next week. It

30:07

Could Happen here as a production of cool Zone Media.

30:09

For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit

30:11

our website coolzonemedia dot com or

30:13

check us out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

30:16

or wherever you listen to podcasts. You

30:18

can find sources for It Could Happen Here, updated

30:20

monthly at coolzonemedia dot com

30:23

slash sources. Thanks for listening.