merve/folk-mythology-tales · Datasets at Hugging Face

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He begins cleaning the byre, but he might just as well to keep baling
the great ocean. After midday when sweat was blinding him, the giant's
youngest daughter came where he was, and she said to him:

"You are being punished, king's son."

"I am that," says the king's son.

"Come over," says Auburn Mary, "and lay down your weariness."

"I will do that," says he, "there is but death awaiting me, at any
rate." He sat down near her. He was so tired that he fell asleep beside
her. When he awoke, the giant's daughter was not to be seen, but the
byre was so well cleaned that a golden apple would run from end to end
of it and raise no stain. In comes the giant, and he said:

"Hast thou cleaned the byre, king's son?"

"I have cleaned it," says he.

"Somebody cleaned it," says the giant.

"You did not clean it, at all events," said the king's son.

"Well, well!" says the giant, "since thou wert so active to-day, thou
wilt get to this time to-morrow to thatch this byre with birds' down,
from birds with no two feathers of one colour."

The king's son was on foot before the sun; he caught up his bow and his
quiver of arrows to kill the birds. He took to the moors, but if he
did, the birds were not so easy to take. He was running after them till
the sweat was blinding him. About mid-day who should come but Auburn
Mary.

"You are exhausting yourself, king's son," says she.

"I am," said he.

"There fell but these two blackbirds, and both of one colour."

"Come over and lay down your weariness on this pretty hillock," says
the giant's daughter.

"It's I am willing," said he.

He thought she would aid him this time, too, and he sat down near her,
and he was not long there till he fell asleep.

When he awoke, Auburn Mary was gone. He thought he would go back to the
house, and he sees the byre thatched with feathers. When the giant came
home, he said:

"Hast thou thatched the byre, king's son?"

"I thatched it," says he.

"Somebody thatched it," says the giant.

"You did not thatch it," says the king's son.

"Yes, yes!" says the giant. "Now," says the giant, "there is a fir tree
beside that loch down there, and there is a magpie's nest in its top.
The eggs thou wilt find in the nest. I must have them for my first
meal. Not one must be burst or broken, and there are five in the nest."

Early in the morning the king's son went where the tree was, and that
tree was not hard to hit upon. Its match was not in the whole wood.
From the foot to the first branch was five hundred feet. The king's son
was going all round the tree. She came who was always bringing help to
him.

"You are losing the skin of your hands and feet."

"Ach! I am," says he. "I am no sooner up than down."

"This is no time for stopping," says the giant's daughter. "Now you
must kill me, strip the flesh from my bones, take all those bones
apart, and use them as steps for climbing the tree. When you are
climbing the tree, they will stick to the glass as if they had grown
out of it; but when you are coming down, and have put your foot on each
one, they will drop into your hand when you touch them. Be sure and
stand on each bone, leave none untouched; if you do, it will stay
behind. Put all my flesh into this clean cloth by the side of the
spring at the roots of the tree. When you come to the earth, arrange my
bones together, put the flesh over them, sprinkle it with water from
the spring, and I shall be alive before you. But don't forget a bone of
me on the tree."

"How could I kill you," asked the king's son, "after what you have done
for me?"

"If you won't obey, you and I are done for," said Auburn Mary. "You
must climb the tree, or we are lost; and to climb the tree you must do
as I say." The king's son obeyed. He killed Auburn Mary, cut the flesh
from her body, and unjointed the bones, as she had told him.

As he went up, the king's son put the bones of Auburn Mary's body
against the side of the tree, using them as steps, till he came under
the nest and stood on the last bone.

He begins cleaning the byre, but he might just as well to keep baling

the great ocean. After midday when sweat was blinding him, the giant's

youngest daughter came where he was, and she said to him:

"You are being punished, king's son."

"I am that," says the king's son.

"Come over," says Auburn Mary, "and lay down your weariness."

"I will do that," says he, "there is but death awaiting me, at any

rate." He sat down near her. He was so tired that he fell asleep beside

her. When he awoke, the giant's daughter was not to be seen, but the

byre was so well cleaned that a golden apple would run from end to end

of it and raise no stain. In comes the giant, and he said:

"Hast thou cleaned the byre, king's son?"

"I have cleaned it," says he.

"Somebody cleaned it," says the giant.

"You did not clean it, at all events," said the king's son.

"Well, well!" says the giant, "since thou wert so active to-day, thou

wilt get to this time to-morrow to thatch this byre with birds' down,

from birds with no two feathers of one colour."

The king's son was on foot before the sun; he caught up his bow and his

quiver of arrows to kill the birds. He took to the moors, but if he

did, the birds were not so easy to take. He was running after them till

the sweat was blinding him. About mid-day who should come but Auburn

Mary.

"You are exhausting yourself, king's son," says she.

"I am," said he.

"There fell but these two blackbirds, and both of one colour."

"Come over and lay down your weariness on this pretty hillock," says

the giant's daughter.

"It's I am willing," said he.

He thought she would aid him this time, too, and he sat down near her,

and he was not long there till he fell asleep.

When he awoke, Auburn Mary was gone. He thought he would go back to the

house, and he sees the byre thatched with feathers. When the giant came

home, he said:

"Hast thou thatched the byre, king's son?"

"I thatched it," says he.

"Somebody thatched it," says the giant.

"You did not thatch it," says the king's son.

"Yes, yes!" says the giant. "Now," says the giant, "there is a fir tree

beside that loch down there, and there is a magpie's nest in its top.

The eggs thou wilt find in the nest. I must have them for my first

meal. Not one must be burst or broken, and there are five in the nest."

Early in the morning the king's son went where the tree was, and that

tree was not hard to hit upon. Its match was not in the whole wood.

From the foot to the first branch was five hundred feet. The king's son

was going all round the tree. She came who was always bringing help to

him.

"You are losing the skin of your hands and feet."

"Ach! I am," says he. "I am no sooner up than down."

"This is no time for stopping," says the giant's daughter. "Now you

must kill me, strip the flesh from my bones, take all those bones

apart, and use them as steps for climbing the tree. When you are

climbing the tree, they will stick to the glass as if they had grown

out of it; but when you are coming down, and have put your foot on each

one, they will drop into your hand when you touch them. Be sure and

stand on each bone, leave none untouched; if you do, it will stay

behind. Put all my flesh into this clean cloth by the side of the

spring at the roots of the tree. When you come to the earth, arrange my

bones together, put the flesh over them, sprinkle it with water from

the spring, and I shall be alive before you. But don't forget a bone of

me on the tree."

"How could I kill you," asked the king's son, "after what you have done

for me?"

"If you won't obey, you and I are done for," said Auburn Mary. "You

must climb the tree, or we are lost; and to climb the tree you must do

as I say." The king's son obeyed. He killed Auburn Mary, cut the flesh

from her body, and unjointed the bones, as she had told him.

As he went up, the king's son put the bones of Auburn Mary's body

against the side of the tree, using them as steps, till he came under

the nest and stood on the last bone.