The Battle Of The Birds Or The Grateful Raven And The Prince

: STORIES FROM GREAT BRITAIN
: Boys And Girls Bookshelf

A Scotch Tale





Once upon a time a great contest took place between every wild creature.

The son of the King of Tethertown went to see the battle; but he arrived

late, and saw only one fight. This was between a huge Raven and a Snake.

The King's son ran to aid the Raven, and with one blow took the head off

the Snake. The Raven was very grateful, and said: "Now, I will give thee

a sight; come u on my wings."



They flew over seven mountains, seven glens, and seven moors. That

night, at the Raven's request, the King's son slept in the house of

one of the Raven's sisters. He was to meet the Raven next morning for

another trip; and for three days they journeyed. On the third morning a

handsome boy, who was carrying a bundle, came to meet the King's son.



This boy told how he had been under a spell; and he was at once released

from it by the power of the King's son. In return, he gave him the

bundle which he carried, and cautioned him not to open it until he found

the place where he desired to dwell.



On the homeward trip the bundle became very heavy, and the King's son

stopped in a grove to open it. Immediately a beautiful castle sprang

up before him. He was very sorry, for he wanted to live in the glen

opposite his father's palace. Just then a Giant appeared and offered to

put the castle back in the bundle on condition that the Prince give him

his first son when he was seven years old. The Prince promised, and soon

he had his castle in the right place. At the palace door there was a

beautiful maiden, who asked him to marry her. The wedding took place at

once, and all were happy.



Before many years they had a son; and then the Prince, who was now King,

remembered his promise to the Giant. When the boy was seven years old

the Giant came to claim him. The Queen said she would save her child.

She dressed the cook's son in fine clothes, and gave him to the Giant.

But the Giant feared some treachery, and said to the boy: "If thy father

had a rod what would he do with it?"



"He would beat the dogs if they went near the King's meat," answered the

boy.



Then the Giant knew he had been deceived, and he went again to the

palace. Again the Queen tried to trick him by giving him the butler's

son. When the Giant found he had been fooled a second time, he stalked

back to the castle, and made a terrible scene. The castle shook under

the soles of his feet as he cried: "Out here with thy son, or the stone

that is highest in thy dwelling shall be the lowest." So, in great fear,

the Queen gave her son to the Giant.



The lad lived many years in the Giant's home. On a certain holiday, when

the Giant was away, the boy heard sweet music. Looking up the stairs he

saw a beautiful little maiden. She beckoned to him to come to her, then

said: "To-morrow you may choose between my two sisters for your bride;

but, I pray you, say you will take only me. My father is forcing me to

marry a Prince whom I hate."



On the morrow the Giant said: "Now, Prince, you may go home to-morrow,

and take with you either of my two eldest daughters as your wife."



The Giant was very angry when the Prince said: "I want only the pretty

little one."



The Giant in a great rage imposed three tasks upon the King's son. He

had to clean a byre, or cow-shed, which had not been cleaned for seven

years. Secondly, he was to thatch the byre with bird's down; and lastly,

he must climb a tall fir-tree and bring five eggs, unbroken, from the

magpie's nest for the Giant's breakfast. These tasks were too great for

any mortal to accomplish, but the youth was willing to try.



He worked all morning on the dirty byre, and accomplished practically

nothing. At noon, while he was resting under a tree, the Giant's

daughter came and talked to him. In utter dejection he showed her

the impossibility of completing the task by nightfall. With words of

sympathy and encouragement, she left him and went on her way. After she

had gone, the Prince in great weariness fell asleep under the tree.



It was evening before he awoke. His first thought was of the unfinished

task, and he jumped to his feet, though only half awake. He looked at

the byre, and then he rubbed his eyes; and then he looked at the byre

again, for, lo! it was clean. Some one had come to his aid while he

slept. When the Giant came home, he knew the King's son had not cleaned

the byre, but he could not prove it, so he had to keep his word.



The second and third tasks were done in much the same way. The Prince

would try very hard to do the work alone, and when he was just about to

fail the Giant's daughter would come and encourage the youth.



In getting the eggs from the magpie's nest, the Giant's daughter was in

a great hurry, because she felt her father's breath on the back of her

neck. In her haste she left her little finger in the magpie's nest, but

there was no time to go back and get it.



When the third task was finished, the Giant ordered them to get ready

for the wedding.



The Giant tried to deceive the King's son at the very last. The three

daughters were dressed alike, and brought before him, and he was to

choose which one was his promised bride. But the Prince knew her by the

hand on which the little finger was missing; so all was well.



After the wedding the bride and bridegroom went to their chamber. The

Giant's daughter said: "Quick! quick! We must fly. My father plans to

kill you."



Then she took an apple and cut it into four parts, two of which she put

on the bed; one piece was placed by the door, and the other outside.

After that was done, they hurried out to the stables, mounted the

blue-gray filly, and were off.



In the meantime the Giant was waiting for them to go to sleep. At last

he could wait no longer, so he called out: "Are you asleep yet?" And the

apple at the head of the bed answered: "No, we are not asleep." He

called out the same thing three more times, and the three other pieces

of apple answered him the same way. When the piece outside the door

replied, the Giant knew he had been fooled, and that the couple had

fled. He started after them in hot pursuit.



Just at dawn the Giant's daughter said: "My father is close behind us,

because his breath is burning my neck. Put thy hand in the filly's ear

and throw behind thee whatever thou findest."



The Prince did so, and at once a thick forest of blackthorn sprang up

behind them.



At noon the Giant's daughter again said: "I feel my father's breath on

my neck." So the Prince reached into the filly's ear and took a piece of

stone, which he threw behind him. At once a huge rock was between them

and the Giant.



By evening the Giant was close upon them for the third time. Out of the

filly's ear the King's son took a bladder of water, and threw it behind

him. A fresh-water lake then stretched twenty miles behind them. By this

time the Giant was coming so fast that he could not stop, but plunged

headlong into the lake and was drowned.



When they approached the Prince's home, the maiden said she would wait

for him by the well. "Go thou and greet thy father, then come back for

me. But let neither man nor creature kiss thee, or thou wilt forget me."



The youth was welcomed by all his family, but he kissed none of them. As

misfortune would have it, however, an old grayhound jumped upon him and

licked his face, and then he did not remember the Giant's daughter.



She waited a long time for his return. After a while she wandered to an

old Shoemaker's cottage and asked him to take her to the palace, that

she might see the newly returned Prince. The Shoemaker, greatly awed by

her unusual beauty, said: "Come with me. I am well acquainted with the

servants at the castle, and will arrange for you to see the company."



The pretty woman attracted much attention at the feast. The gentlefolk

took her to the banquet hall and gave her a glass of cordial. Just as

she was going to drink, a flame appeared in the glass, and a golden

pigeon and a silver pigeon sprang out of the flame. At the same time,

three grains of barley fell upon the floor.



The two pigeons flew down and ate the barley grains. As they ate, the

golden pigeon said: "Do you remember how I cleaned the byre?" Three more

grains of barley fell to the ground, and the golden pigeon again spoke:

"Do you remember how I thatched the byre?" Still three more grains fell

to the ground, and the golden pigeon once more spoke: "Do you remember

how I robbed the magpie's nest? I lost my little finger, and I lack it

still."



Then the King's son remembered, and he sprang and claimed the Giant's

little daughter as his bride.