The Old Barn Owl

There once lived a great king who ruled over a great kingdom, and this king had a daughter who was more beautiful than all the flowers in all the land. When it came time for her to be wed, the king asked a soothsayer who she should marry, for the one who married her would be the next king.

“Tell me soothsayer,” said the king. “Who will be king after I am gone?”

“The one who brings you the heart of the stone giant,” the soothsayer replied. The stone giant had been terrorizing countryside for some time now. No man had been able to kill it, for its skin was made of pure stone. So the king decreed that the man who slayed the fearsome creature would marry his daughter and become king after him.

Now the king had an old cook who had served him faithfully for many years. This cook had three sons, and each one thought they would very much like to marry the beautiful princess and become king.

So the eldest son said, “I am the strongest, so I shall be the one to slay the stone giant.” And off he went. He had been on the road for some time when he came across an old barn owl.

The owl alighted on his shoulder and said, “I know of your quest, and I am here to offer counsel. You will be met by an old woman further down the road. Pray, give her what food you have. Then, you will find your way blocked by a river. Do not try to cross it yourself. Instead, find a bridge and make your way across there.” The eldest son laughed and shooed the bird away.

“Am I to take advice from a pheasant next?” he said and continued on his way. Sure enough, he met the old woman, and she begged him to give what food he had. But the eldest son turned her away.

‘For,’ he thought, ‘I may have need of this food later.’ He continued on until he came to the river. He looked around, but there was no bridge in sight.

He looked to the river and thought ‘It looks calm enough. I can swim to the other side with great ease.’ So he jumped into the river and started swimming. But no sooner had he done so when the river picked up speed. Before he knew what was happening, he was swept up by the current and was drowned.

When the eldest son did not return, the second son said, “I am the cleverest, so I shall be the one to slay the stone giant.” And off he went. He met the owl who gave him the good counsel. But like his brother, the second son ignored the owl and spurned the old woman when he met her.

When he came to the river and saw no bridge, he thought, ‘I shall cut down a tree and make my own bridge.’ And he did so. But the tree he cut down was too thin, and when he was halfway across, it snapped, and the second son was drowned in the same way.

After some time, the third son set out to slay the stone giant. He too met the owl and was given the good counsel. But he thanked the owl, and offered him a bit of beef for his trouble. And when he met the old woman, he gave her what food he had.

The old woman thanked him and said, “Because you have been kind to me, I will give you this sword. Use it well, for you will need it when the time comes.” The son thanked her and continued on his way. When he came to the river, he looked around to find a bridge. At first he could not see one, but a beam of light reflected off his new sword and shone onto a once invisible bridge. The son crossed this bridge, and the old barn owl once again appeared to him.

“Since you have listened to my counsel and been kind to me, I will tell you something else. That sword has been enchanted so that if anyone pure of heart wields it, they will be able to cut through anything, even stone.” The son almost jumped for joy, but the owl held up its wing.

“Take heed, for I am not yet finished. It would do you well to not fight the stone giant while he is awake. Instead, drink and make merry with him until he falls asleep. Then, you can cut off his head.” The son once again thanked the owl for his counsel and continued on his way. At last, he came to the castle the stone giant lived in.

The stone giant came out to greet him and said, “Are you another one who seeks to take my heart?”

“Not I,” cried the son. “I seek only to drink and make merry with you.”

“Then come in,” replied the stone giant. “We shall have a grand feast.” The son did so, and they both ate and drank well into the night. But the son made sure to throw his wine away when the stone giant was not looking, so as not to become drunk and fall asleep also. When the giant had at last fallen asleep, the son climbed up to his neck, and with a big swing of his sword, chopped off his head.

The barn owl then appeared to the son again and said, “Well done. Now cut out the stone giant’s heart, so that you might bring it to the king.”

The son did so and the owl said, “Now get on my back, so that I may bring you to the king with great haste.” The son was glad to do so, and the two flew away from the stone giant’s abode and towards the castle of the king.

As they flew over the river, the owl said, “Let me land here, so that I might rest my wings for a moment.” The son agreed, and they landed on the bank of the river.

Then the owl said, “Your sword is still wet from the stone giant’s blood. Pray, put down the heart so that you may clean it. It would not do to enter the king’s palace with a dirty sword.” This was a sensible argument, so the son set down the stone giant’s heart and took out his sword to clean it. But no sooner had the son’s back turned when the owl transformed into the soothsayer and pushed him into the river. The poor son fell headfirst into the water and was drowned.

Then the soothsayer picked up the stone giant’s heart and took the form of a handsome prince and made his way to the king’s castle. The king was overjoyed to see that such a distinguished man had brought him the heart and proclaimed that he would be married to the princess at once. And so he was. And when the king died, the soothsayer became king, and he ruled for many, many years.

The End