Once upon a time a fisherman and his only son, Pastaris, were at sea when a terrible giant appeared and seized Pastaris. He carried him to his ship and sailed away, and the fisherman could do nothing to stop the giant.
The giant lived on an island, and there he carried Pastaris ashore and into a great palace. Then he locked him in a pitch-dark room.
"Here you'll stay," said the giant. "Do not light a fire no matter what happens!"
Pastaris huddled under a blanket but could not sleep; he heard terrible wailing and weeping. The next night the same thing happened.
On the third night Pastaris decided he must build a fire so he could see, but he had nothing to use to build it.
In the morning he called to the giant. "Let me visit my poor father. Just for one day. I swear I'll return."
The giant agreed, and he waited on the ship while Pastaris went ashore.
"I need a small candle, a flint and some tinder," Pastaris told his father. "Sew them into the lining of my coat so the giant will not find them."
This the fisherman did. "Just promise me that you will use your wits," the fisherman said. "There are things in this world that demand our attention."
Pastaris returned to the ship, and the giant set sail for the palace.
That night Pastaris heard the terrible wailing, so he took the candle, flint and tinder from inside his coat and managed to light the candle.
When the room lighted up, he saw a beautiful maiden, but the light so frightened her, she ran out of the room before Pastaris could speak.
The giant stormed into Pastaris' room. "You disobeyed me!" he thundered, and he carried Pastaris to a tall mountain and left him at the top, all alone, with nothing to eat or drink and no shelter.
For two whole days Pastaris sat there, but on the third day he decided to climb down. When finally he reached the bottom of the mountain, his hands were scraped and sore and his clothing torn to shreds. He walked through the forest, and came upon four men standing around a fallen horse, a sword stuck in the earth beside them.
"Do not pass by us!" the men cried. "We need you to divide this horse among us. We have killed it, but we don't know how to divide it."
Then each man introduced himself, and Pastaris understood how he must divide up their prize. To the first man, chief of cattle, Pastaris gave the shanks. To the man who called himself the leader of the birds, he gave the shoulders. Pastaris handed the middle of the horse to the one who said he looked out for the fish, and to the fourth man, captain of crawling creatures, Pastaris gave the head.
Then he set down the sword and turned to leave.
"Wait, we must reward you for your help."
The man who led the cattle gave Pastaris a hair from a bull. "Spin this hair and your strength will be greater than the strength of any man or beast."
The bird man gave Pastaris a feather. "Spin this, and you'll move faster than any creature moves."
"And this," said the fish man, handing Pastaris a scale, "will help you swim faster than any man or beast."
The man of the crawling things gave him an ant's leg and said, "With this you'll be able to dig to the center of the Earth."
Pastaris thanked them and off he set, but that evening the ground began to tremble, and the giant's voice roared, "Who told you to leave the mountain?"
"I did," said Pastaris.
"Is that so?" the giant thundered. "Then I shall kill you!"
Pastaris felt the heat of the giant's breath on his neck, so he spun the hair of the bull and struck the giant.
The giant reeled; the hair had given Pastaris amazing strength, and the giant could not overpower him. The giant fell to the ground, and Pastaris said, "Now I shall kill you!"
"My soul is not inside my body," the giant laughed.
"Then tell me where it is," said Pastaris," and I will destroy it."
Again the giant laughed. "On the other side of the ocean in a palace courtyard stands a post. Hit this post with your finger, and a sword will fall down from heaven. With this sword kill a snake in the forest, and a rabbit will appear and race away. Catch that rabbit and cut off its head, and a dove will appear. If you can catch the dove when it flies to heaven, an egg will fall, and in that egg is my life. You will never have it."
Pastaris left the giant and twirled the fish scale, and in one second he swam across the ocean. He found the post in the palace courtyard, and he hit that post with his finger. A great sword fell to the ground.
Pastaris grabbed the sword and hurried into the forest, and there he found a snake. He struck the snake, and a rabbit ran out from the place where the snake had been. Pastaris twirled his feather, and suddenly it seemed as if he were flying. He caught that rabbit, chopped off its head, and a dove appeared.
The dove flew into the clouds. Again Pastaris twirled his feather, flew up into the clouds and caught the dove. Sure enough, an egg dropped from the sky, plunging down into the ground. Pastaris twirled the ant leg, and just as the man had told him, he was able to climb into the ground after that egg. He caught it easily.
Faster than a whirlwind, Pastaris carried that egg back to the giant's palace and smashed it to pieces.
The giant died.
The beautiful maiden he had seen in that dark room stepped into the courtyard, smiled at him, and said, "You freed me from the giant's spell. I will love you forever."
Together they sailed back to his father's home. The fisherman was proud of his boy. "You paid attention and used your wits," he said.
And they all lived happily ever after.
To learn more about Tell Me a Story and find out about our just-released CD, go to: www.mythsandtales.com, or contact Amy Friedman at kellsmom@comcast.net.
The giant lived on an island, and there he carried Pastaris ashore and into a great palace. Then he locked him in a pitch-dark room.
"Here you'll stay," said the giant. "Do not light a fire no matter what happens!"
Pastaris huddled under a blanket but could not sleep; he heard terrible wailing and weeping. The next night the same thing happened.
On the third night Pastaris decided he must build a fire so he could see, but he had nothing to use to build it.
In the morning he called to the giant. "Let me visit my poor father. Just for one day. I swear I'll return."
The giant agreed, and he waited on the ship while Pastaris went ashore.
"I need a small candle, a flint and some tinder," Pastaris told his father. "Sew them into the lining of my coat so the giant will not find them."
This the fisherman did. "Just promise me that you will use your wits," the fisherman said. "There are things in this world that demand our attention."
Pastaris returned to the ship, and the giant set sail for the palace.
That night Pastaris heard the terrible wailing, so he took the candle, flint and tinder from inside his coat and managed to light the candle.
When the room lighted up, he saw a beautiful maiden, but the light so frightened her, she ran out of the room before Pastaris could speak.
The giant stormed into Pastaris' room. "You disobeyed me!" he thundered, and he carried Pastaris to a tall mountain and left him at the top, all alone, with nothing to eat or drink and no shelter.
For two whole days Pastaris sat there, but on the third day he decided to climb down. When finally he reached the bottom of the mountain, his hands were scraped and sore and his clothing torn to shreds. He walked through the forest, and came upon four men standing around a fallen horse, a sword stuck in the earth beside them.
"Do not pass by us!" the men cried. "We need you to divide this horse among us. We have killed it, but we don't know how to divide it."
Then each man introduced himself, and Pastaris understood how he must divide up their prize. To the first man, chief of cattle, Pastaris gave the shanks. To the man who called himself the leader of the birds, he gave the shoulders. Pastaris handed the middle of the horse to the one who said he looked out for the fish, and to the fourth man, captain of crawling creatures, Pastaris gave the head.
Then he set down the sword and turned to leave.
"Wait, we must reward you for your help."
The man who led the cattle gave Pastaris a hair from a bull. "Spin this hair and your strength will be greater than the strength of any man or beast."
The bird man gave Pastaris a feather. "Spin this, and you'll move faster than any creature moves."
"And this," said the fish man, handing Pastaris a scale, "will help you swim faster than any man or beast."
The man of the crawling things gave him an ant's leg and said, "With this you'll be able to dig to the center of the Earth."
Pastaris thanked them and off he set, but that evening the ground began to tremble, and the giant's voice roared, "Who told you to leave the mountain?"
"I did," said Pastaris.
"Is that so?" the giant thundered. "Then I shall kill you!"
Pastaris felt the heat of the giant's breath on his neck, so he spun the hair of the bull and struck the giant.
The giant reeled; the hair had given Pastaris amazing strength, and the giant could not overpower him. The giant fell to the ground, and Pastaris said, "Now I shall kill you!"
"My soul is not inside my body," the giant laughed.
"Then tell me where it is," said Pastaris," and I will destroy it."
Again the giant laughed. "On the other side of the ocean in a palace courtyard stands a post. Hit this post with your finger, and a sword will fall down from heaven. With this sword kill a snake in the forest, and a rabbit will appear and race away. Catch that rabbit and cut off its head, and a dove will appear. If you can catch the dove when it flies to heaven, an egg will fall, and in that egg is my life. You will never have it."
Pastaris left the giant and twirled the fish scale, and in one second he swam across the ocean. He found the post in the palace courtyard, and he hit that post with his finger. A great sword fell to the ground.
Pastaris grabbed the sword and hurried into the forest, and there he found a snake. He struck the snake, and a rabbit ran out from the place where the snake had been. Pastaris twirled his feather, and suddenly it seemed as if he were flying. He caught that rabbit, chopped off its head, and a dove appeared.
The dove flew into the clouds. Again Pastaris twirled his feather, flew up into the clouds and caught the dove. Sure enough, an egg dropped from the sky, plunging down into the ground. Pastaris twirled the ant leg, and just as the man had told him, he was able to climb into the ground after that egg. He caught it easily.
Faster than a whirlwind, Pastaris carried that egg back to the giant's palace and smashed it to pieces.
The giant died.
The beautiful maiden he had seen in that dark room stepped into the courtyard, smiled at him, and said, "You freed me from the giant's spell. I will love you forever."
Together they sailed back to his father's home. The fisherman was proud of his boy. "You paid attention and used your wits," he said.
And they all lived happily ever after.
To learn more about Tell Me a Story and find out about our just-released CD, go to: www.mythsandtales.com, or contact Amy Friedman at kellsmom@comcast.net.
No comments:
Post a Comment