Latest / Sandman Stories Presents / EP 322: Georgia- The Shepherd and the Child of Fortune; The King And The Apple (Wardrop)

Transcript

EP 322: Georgia- The Shepherd and the Child of Fortune; The King And The Apple (Wardrop) · 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 and or until the
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  next story. I'm your host Dustin.
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  And if you want more Sandman that is too spicy for the main
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  feed, go ahead and check me out on Sandman Stories After Dark on
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  Patreon. Today we are back in the book of
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  Georgian folk tales written down by Marjorie Wardrip.
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  OK and in the first story we have a shepherd that is trying
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  to help out but also kidnaps their kid.
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  And in the second story we have a 8 or 9 year old on a couch
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  that has to be given riddles that he can answer.
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  Luckily the king has an apple. OK let's begin.
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  The shepherd and the child of fortune there was, and there was
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  not at all, and there was a man who had a wife.
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  They were wealthy but had no children.
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  One day the woman said to her husband, Come on, let's place
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  young bulls in our churches, and at night let someone look and
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  see. Perhaps God will look down upon
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  us and give us a child. The husband approved of this
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  idea and placed five bulls in five churches.
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  Then they went to one of the churches, killed the bull and
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  gave it to their shepherd, and said, Go and take this bull meat
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  and give it to the poor. Please remain in the church all
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  night and watch and listen carefully.
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  The shepherd went away and gave the meat to the poor.
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  Then he went into the church and remained on guard the whole
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  night, but he did not hear a word about his master's
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  childlessness. Day dawned and the shepherd went
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  and told his master, I've watched the whole night and I've
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  not heard a sound. Then this man went into the
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  second Chapel. He killed the bull there and
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  gave it to his shepherd, who distributed it even as he had
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  done the first. In the morning, when he went
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  home, he brought the same answer as before.
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  Then they went to the third and 4th chapels, but still they
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  learned nothing. Only the 5th Chapel remained.
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  Here the shepherd distributed meat to the poor and hid himself
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  in the church. In the middle of the night, 5
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  angels of the church flew down and began to talk together.
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  They said, we must do something for this couple, They are
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  childless, let's give them a son.
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  Yes, said the first Angel. But when he reaches the age of
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  20, let him die and return to us.
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  No, said the second Angel. When the priest shall lead him
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  into the cathedral and place a crown on his head, then he shall
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  die. When he has a wife and children,
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  then he shall die, said the third.
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  He shall live a long time, he shall grow old, but shall be
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  worthless. Fellow, said the 4th.
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  If we were to give the man a child, let us give him something
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  better, said the 5th Angel. We have spoken, now it is your
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  turn, what do you say, Answered the others.
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  Then said the 5th Angel, Let him be endowed with immortal youth,
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  and whatever he asks of God, may it pass.
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  Good, good, agreed the others, and then went back to their own
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  places. The shepherd heard everything.
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  At Daybreak he came back to his Master, who asked him, Well, did
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  you hear anything last night? The shepherd replied.
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  The five angels of the churches assembled, and they said that
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  you should have a son at the end of the year.
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  But it is ordained that your shepherd will be present at the
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  birth. Thank the Lord, if we have a
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  son, you may be present, answered the husband and wife.
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  After this the shepherd went to his sheep, and the man and woman
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  went to bed. A year passed.
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  The shepherd waited for some time, put a little goat in his
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  pocket and went away. The woman was in bed, and the
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  shepherd put the baby in his pocket and wrapped the young
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  goat up in his bed clothes. Then the shepherd opened the
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  door and left. When he had gone up for a few
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  weeks, the child would not stay in his pocket any longer and
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  asked to be put down. The shepherd put him down, and
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  he walked by himself. They went on and on, and at last
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  they became hungry. The shepherd said to himself,
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  Come, I want to try and see if the prophecy of the angels is
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  true or not. And he said to the boy, wish
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  that God gives us bread so that we can eat.
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  The boy wished and God gave them bread.
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  They sat down and ate, but they had no water.
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  He wished for water, and by their side their murmured a
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  beautiful spring. The shepherd now believed in his
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  heart that all his desires would be fulfilled, and said, Wish for
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  my house to be completely furnished, and that outside
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  there is a village for me to rule, and that I may have such
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  and such a Princess for my wife. The boy wished this, and
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  everything was according to his desire.
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  Some time passed. Once the Princess asked the
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  shepherd saying, How has it happened that an illustrious
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  Princess like me has married a simple shepherd?
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  Her husband replied, Heat a pin and put it in the boy's foot to
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  see if he's asleep. If he is, then I will tell you
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  everything. The child heard this
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  conversation and wished in his heart, Oh God, may my foot be so
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  hardened that I cannot feel anything.
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  The woman heeded the pin and put it to the sole of the boy's
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  foot, but he did not move. The shepherd thought that he was
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  really asleep and told his wife everything in detail.
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  The child lay quiet and listened.
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  He now learned for the first time whose son he was, and how
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  he had fallen into the hands of the shepherd.
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  The next morning at Daybreak, he arose and went to seek his
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  parents. He went on and on and
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  everywhere. He asked about his village.
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  He came to his father's house and said, Do you want a guest?
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  Truly, child, a guest is of God. And they led him in.
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  Then the boy asked them, Have you lost anything?
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  The master of the house replied, Well child, I have lost a
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  shepherd and I still owe him four years wages.
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  I saw him just now coming to you with great wealth and with a
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  wife and family, said the boy at night when they were all asleep.
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  The boy wishing his heart, Oh God, may the shepherd with his
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  house, his family and his town be in our courtyard tonight.
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  The next morning, the master of the house came to the door and
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  was struck with surprise. My God, he said, how was this
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  town built in our courtyard? His wife said.
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  What are you talking about, husband, This is not our
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  courtyard. Indeed, we are somewhere else.
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  The man replied, No, wife, this is our own home.
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  That is our house, but these are certainly not the usual
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  surroundings. Well, let me look inside.
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  If there is a boy sleeping there, it must be our house.
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  The boy was awake, but he pretended to be asleep.
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  The woman and man went in and saw the boy sleeping there.
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  They woke him up and said, Who are you who has appeared here?
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  We pray you to tell us what you have done so that we no longer
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  know our own house. The boy smiled and said, I told
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  you yesterday that your shepherd was coming to you with his
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  possessions. Behold, he came yesterday and
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  has taken up his abode in your courtyard.
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  Let us call your shepherd here. At that moment the shepherd
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  awoke. When he jumped out of bed and
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  saw the courtyard, he said to himself, Great are you, O Lord,
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  I was settled in my home, and now I am here.
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  He went to see his master, bent his knee and said this.
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  And that is what I've done. I've done evil, and now I'm in
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  your hands. Do with me as you will.
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  When the man and woman heard this tale, they did not know
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  what to do to show their joy. First one embraced the child,
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  then the other. At length the boy said, I am in
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  truth your son, but this man is also your child.
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  He has done wrong, but you will forgive all and give him his
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  back pay. His father gave the shepherd his
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  money and forgave him, but still the boy was not satisfied.
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  He said to his parents, This shepherd at least left a goat in
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  exchange for me. If my mother brought up the
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  goat, he brought me up. If you wish, keep the goat and I
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  will go with him. If, however, you keep me, you
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  ought to give him back his goat. Not only will I do that, but
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  I'll also give him half my flock, said the boy's father.
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  He divided his flock into two parts and gave one to his
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  shepherd and took him into his house.
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  The boy remained with his father and mother, and they lived
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  happily together. The end.
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  OK, and the second story, the king and the apple, there was
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  and there was not at all of God's best.
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  May it be there was a king. When the day of his death was
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  drawing near, he called his son to him and said, on the day when
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  you go to hunt in the east, take this coffer, but only open it
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  when you're in dire distress. The king died and was buried in
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  the manner that he had wished. The Prince fell into a state of
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  grief, and would not go outside. At last the ministers of state
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  came to the new king, and proposed that he should go out
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  hunting. The king was delighted with the
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  idea, and set out for the chase with his entourage.
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  They went eastward, and killed a great quantity of game.
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  On their way home the young monarch saw a tower near the
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  road, and which to know what was in it, he asked one of his
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  viziers to go and try and find out about it.
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  He obeyed, but first said, I hope to return in three days,
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  and if I do not, I shall be dead. 3 days passed and the
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  vizier did not return. The king sent a second, a third,
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  a fourth, but not one of them came back.
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  Then he rose and went himself. When he arrived he saw written
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  over the door, Enter and you will repent.
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  Enter not and you will repent. I must do one or the other, said
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  the King to himself. So I shall go in.
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  He opened the door and went in. Behold, there stood 12 men with
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  drawn swords. They took his hand and let him
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  into 12 rooms. When he came to the 12th, he saw
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  a golden couch on which was a boy of eight or nine years of
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  age. His eyes were closed and he did
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  not utter a word. The king was told.
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  You may ask him three questions, but if he does not understand
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  and answer all of them, you must lose your head.
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  The king became very sad, but at last remembered the coffer his
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  father had given him. What greater misfortune can I
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  have than to lose my head? He said to himself.
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  He took out the coffer and opened it.
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  From it there fell an apple which rolled towards the couch.
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  What help can this be to me? Said the King.
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  But the Ample began to speak and told the following tale to the
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  boy. A certain man was travelling
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  with his wife and brother. When night fell and they had no
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  food, the woman's brother-in-law went to a neighboring village to
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  buy bread. On the way he met brigands who
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  robbed him and cut off his head. When his brothers did not
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  return, the man went to look for him and he met the same fate.
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  The next day the unhappy woman went to seek them, and there she
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  saw her husband and brother-in-law lying in one
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  place with their heads cut off. Around was a pool of blood.
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  The woman sat down, tore her hair, and began to weep
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  bitterly. In that moment a little mouse
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  jumped out. It began to lick the blood, but
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  the woman took a stone and threw it at the mouse and killed it.
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  Then the mouse's mother came out and said Look at me, I can bring
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  my child back to life, but what can't you do for your husband
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  and his brother? She pulled up an herb, applied
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  it to the little mouse and it was restored to life.
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  Then they both disappeared down their hole.
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  The woman greatly rejoiced when she saw this.
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  She also plucked the same herb, put the heads on the bodies and
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  applied it to them. Her husband and brother-in-law
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  came back to life, but alas, she had put the wrong heads on the
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  bodies. Now, my sage youth, tell me who
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  was the woman's husband? Concluded the apple.
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  He opened his eyes and said, certainly it is he who had the
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  right head. The king was very glad.
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  A joiner, a tailor, and a priest were travelling together at one
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  time, began the apple. Night came on when they were in
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  the wood. They lit a huge fire and had
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  their supper, and then said, Do not let us be deprived of
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  employment. Each of us shall take a turn
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  watching and do something in trade.
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  The joiner's turn came first. He cut down the tree, and out of
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  it he fashioned a man. Then he lay down and went to
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  sleep while the tailor mounted guard.
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  Then he saw the wooden man. He took off his clothes and put
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  them on him. Last of all, the priest acted as
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  a Sentinel. When he saw the man, he said, I
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  will pray to God that he may give this man a soul.
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  He prayed, and his wish was granted.
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  Now, my boy, can you tell me who made the man he who gave him the
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  soul? The king was pleased, and said
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  to himself, That is 2. The apple again went on.
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  There was a diviner, A physician, and a swift runner.
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  The diviner said There is a certain Prince who was ill with
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  such and such a disease. The physician said, I know a
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  cure for it, I will run with it, said the swift runner.
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  The physician prepared the medicine, and the man ran with
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  it. Now tell me who cured the King's
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  son, Said the apple. He who made the medicine,
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  replied the boy. When he had given the three
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  answers. The apple rolled back into the
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  casket, and the King put it back in his pocket.
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  The boy arose, embraced the king, and kissed him.
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  Many men have been here, but I have not been able to speak
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  before. Now tell me what you wish, and I
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  will do it. The King asked that his viziers
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  might be restored to life, and they all went away with rich
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  presents. The end.
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  This was a nice quick couple of stories.
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  I like the quick endings and they were pretty easy to
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  understand. I like that they didn't have
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  hard feelings with the Shepherd and that he got his back pay
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  even after kidnapping their child.
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  And the second one's riddles I've heard in other places.
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  I know I heard the who's head on whose body in the Shimla Village
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  tales. They seem to be the kind of
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  stories that get people to have a discussion.
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  There are two more Georgian tales in this book, followed by
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  the Mingrelian and Gurian tales. So we'll keep reading.
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  The story and the podcast Shout out is to Betwixt the Sheets.
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  It is a crossover between history and sex and is hosted by
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  Doctor Kate Lister. It's a lot of fun to find out
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  about the history we try to hide.
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  And the listener shout out is to Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
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  It's the largest city in Gujarat.
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  My cousin's wife's family stay with me is from Gujarat and I
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  hope to visit them someday. I would also love to see the
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  garba folk dance that the area is famous for.
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  And so I say in Gujarati to my listener in Ahmedabad, Abhara
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  Ane Subraratri, thank you. Good night.