Latest / Sandman Stories Presents / EP 237: Azores- The Listening King (Eells)

Transcript

EP 237: Azores- The Listening King (Eells) · Sandman Stories Presents

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  Welcome back, listeners to Sandman Stories Presents, a
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  folklore podcast where I read you to sleep or until the next
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  story. I'm your host, Dustin.
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  Today we are back in the book of Azorian folk tales written down
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  by Elsie Spicer Eels. In this story, the king wants to
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  listen to the townsfolk's words because he has bored senseless.
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  If you listen to last week's story, you'll hear echoes of the
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  same story from Armenia. OK, let's begin.
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  The listening king. The story of the trouble which
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  came to him. Once Upon a time there lived a
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  king who like to walk in disguise about the streets of
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  the city, listening at people's doors.
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  It was, in fact, his favorite amusement.
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  Other kings of the land have been fond of war, or hunting, or
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  fishing or games, but there are never before been one who like
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  to listen at doors. For this reason he was called
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  the Listening King. It is the greatest fun I have.
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  He often said to his counsellors, being a king would
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  be a stupid life if one didn't have some diversion.
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  Be careful that it does not get you in trouble, said the wise
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  men. We have often heard that
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  listening to other people's secrets is a dangerous practice.
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  I've had nothing but pleasure from it anyway, the king would
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  reply. Then he would add, so far at
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  least. Sometimes he would take a friend
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  or two with him, and sometimes he would go alone.
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  The habit of listening at doors became more and more a favorite
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  one to him as the months and years passed.
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  Now in that city there lived a man of humble station who had
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  three pretty daughters. One evening the king passed his
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  house and stopped to listen at the door.
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  What would you like to marry? One of the girls was asking.
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  It happened to be the youngest one.
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  I'd like to marry the royal Baker, said the eldest sister.
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  Why, asked the youngest one? So that I might always eat fresh
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  bread, was the reply. Who would you like to marry?
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  Said the youngest sister to the middle one.
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  I'd like to marry the royal meat cook, so that I might always eat
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  meat roasted just for a turn, was her answer.
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  Who would you like to marry as the eldest sister and the middle
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  sister together? I'd like to marry the listening
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  king himself, was the reply which their youngest sister
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  made. Silly, Silly, cried the two
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  sisters, Perhaps we have a chance of getting our wishes.
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  But what chance have you if one wishes for nothing splendid?
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  One never gets anything splendid, replied the youngest
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  sister with a blush which made her look very charming to the
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  king as he peeped through the keyhole.
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  The king went away with a shrewd smile upon his face.
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  The next day he sent for the three sisters to come to the
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  palace. They were very much frightened.
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  Well, said the king to the eldest daughter.
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  Do you want to marry the royal Baker?
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  Yes, your majesty, she replied. I have no objections.
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  The king turned to her sister. How is it with you?
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  He asked. What do you say to marrying the
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  royal meat cook? I'll be most happy to marry him,
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  your majesty, she answered. The youngest girl was blushing
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  like a rose and her heart was thumping so much that she could
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  scarcely breathe. The King smiled as he noticed
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  her fair head bowed upon her breast.
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  Would you like to marry the listening King?
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  He asked to her gently. Yes, your Majesty, she responded
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  so low that the king could very hardly hear her.
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  Very well, said the king, I'll have all these weddings
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  celebrated at once. Thus it happened that the two
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  eldest sisters got their wishes and married the royal Baker and
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  the royal meat cook, while the youngest one wedded the
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  listening king himself. The others were very angry at
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  her luck, and their hearts were filled with envy.
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  Why didn't we wish to be Queens, or at least princesses?
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  One asked to the other. It would have been just as easy
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  to have our wishes granted. Why didn't we?
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  Why didn't we? How stupid we are.
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  Cried the other. They passed the time and
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  plotting against their younger sister, the Queen.
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  A year flew by and twin sons were born to the royal pair.
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  They had gold stars on their foreheads.
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  The whole Kingdom was filled with rejoicing.
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  As for the listening king, he was so happy that he forgot to
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  listen at people's doors. The only people in the whole
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  country who are not happy were the two jealous sisters.
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  They stole the tiny babies out of the palace and threw them
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  into the river. Trouble has at last come to our
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  listening king, said the wise men.
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  When the lost was discovered, the basket in which the twins
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  have been placed floated away down the stream.
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  It was found by the Miller. What have we here?
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  He asked his wife together as they removed the cover to the
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  basket. I guess it is something good to
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  eat, said his wife. What do you think it is?
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  I guess it is a poor little puppy which someone wanted to
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  drown, replied the Miller. Then they took the cover off the
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  basket. The two babies opened their eyes
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  and smiled. Just then the Miller and his
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  wife were the most surprised people in the whole country and
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  also the happiest ones. What beautiful children, cried
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  the Miller. Let's keep them, cried his wife.
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  Of course we'll keep them, replied the Miller.
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  The good God himself must have sent them to us to answer our
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  prayers. Just then, the Miller's wife
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  noticed the golden stars upon their foreheads.
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  What does that mean, she asked. I don't know, answered her
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  husband as he examined them carefully.
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  Perhaps it is just a sign that they are truly the gift of God.
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  The Miller and his wife cared for the two children as if they
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  had been their own. They lived such a long distance
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  from the palace that they never heard any news that the royal
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  babes were missing. As the two boys grew older, they
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  became the handsomest, cleverest lads in the whole Kingdom.
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  The gold stars shone and twinkled upon their foreheads.
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  At last the Miller's wife made little caps for them to wear to
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  hide the stars. They were all together too
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  conspicuous. Then one sad summer of
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  pestilence came upon the land, and the good Miller and his wife
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  died. The two children were left alone
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  in the world. The listening king had decreed
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  that all orphan children in the Kingdom should be brought to the
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  royal city, so that they might be fed and cared for.
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  The Miller's two orphans went with the others, and the King's
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  wicked sisters in law saw them. They recognize them at once
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  because of the golden stars upon their foreheads.
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  We must make a new plot to destroy the royal children, said
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  one sister to the other. And we must be quick about it,
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  or the King and Queen will see them and recognize them too, by
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  the golden stars. Are you quite sure these are the
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  two royal babes we threw in the river?
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  Asked the other sister doubtfully.
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  It is a bit difficult for me to believe that our sister's
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  children can be so handsome. I'm entirely certain of it,
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  assured her sister. There is no one except the royal
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  babes who could have those golden stars.
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  While the wicked sisters plotted, the two children had
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  approached the royal gardens. Inside the garden there was a
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  beautiful parrot with feathers of green and gold.
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  I'm going to catch that bird, said one of the brothers.
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  Wait here while I go inside the gates.
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  He could not catch the parrot, and he called his brother to
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  come and help him. Together they succeeded, and
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  with the beautiful golden green parrot tightly clutched, they
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  tried to slip outside the gate of the royal gardens.
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  Just as they were almost out, the great gates swiftly closed
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  and caught their garments. We're caught, we are caught,
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  cried the two children. How can we ever get the gates
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  unfastened? At the sound of their cries, the
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  royal gardeners, the courtiers and the listening king himself
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  came to the rescue. When the King saw the golden
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  stars upon their foreheads, he leaned against the nearest tree
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  for support. What children are these?
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  He asked in a voice which shook. I never saw them before, replied
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  the head gardener. I think they're some of the
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  orphan children which the great mercy and clemency of your Royal
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  Majesty have caused to be rescued from the plague.
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  Where are your parents, my children?
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  Asked one of the courtiers. We are the children of the good
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  Miller and his wife, they replied.
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  Our kind foster parents are now dead with the plague.
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  Where did this Miller and his wife find you?
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  Asked the King eagerly. Then the two children told the
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  story of how the Miller found them in the basket in the river.
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  They knew it well, for it was their favorite story of all the
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  ones which the Miller's wife had told them.
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  The courtiers looked at each other in amazement.
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  Everyone had noticed the bright stars shining on the children's
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  brows. I believe you are the two dear
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  babes lost from this palace, cried the King as he took them
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  in his arms. We'll put you in that basket as
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  the King's counsellors. If I knew, you may be sure that
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  fitting punishment would be visited upon them.
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  Cried the King. The beautiful green and gold
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  parrot had escaped from the children's arms and had flown
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  back to the tree near the gates of the royal gardens.
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  Suddenly he was heard to speak. Go find the King's sisters in
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  law, were the words that he said.
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  The King's sisters in law were quickly brought into the garden.
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  A look at their guilty faces convinced everyone that they
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  were the ones who had placed the royal babes in the basket and
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  had thrown them into the river. You shall now receive the
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  punishment which you have so richly deserved, cried the King
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  as he frowned upon them sternly. Where is the good Queen?
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  Someone asked. The Queen had been sleeping in
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  her own apartments and had not heard the noise in the garden.
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  When the courtiers brought her there, and she saw the two
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  handsome boys with the bright shining stars on their
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  foreheads, she fainted from joy. The end,
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  well that one ended kind of abruptly, didn't get to see what
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  the punishment was for the sisters and just ends with oh
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  and they're back. I like that their mom wasn't
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  wrapped in skin and spit on, but honestly this just feels like a
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  shorter version of the previous story from Armenia.
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  Still, I hope that you enjoyed it.
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  And the podcast shout out this week is to cancel for
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  maintenance. This podcast covers air
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  mechanics and the stuff they go through to keep our flying
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  machines in the air. You would think it'd be all
• 11:25
  glory or that they would quickly run out of stories, but in the
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  end, it is an honest look at the hard work that goes into their
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  job. And so if you like their show as
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  much as I do, go and give them a listen, a like and a review.
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  And the listener shout out is to Merch Luxemburg.
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  It's located in the local area known as the Valley of the Seven
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  Castles. The country's name comes from
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  Count Siegfried getting a small plot of land named Little
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  Castle. The city center goes back to the
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  13th century and is a lovely little area.
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  Do I want to visit? Sure do, but it's not in my top
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  ten at the moment, but still looks very beautiful and very
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  chill. And so to my one listener inside
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  the dungeon in the castle, I say.
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  And Luxembourgish mercy, a good nycht.
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  Thank you and good night.