Japanese Fairy Tales

[Goblin King]

THE OGRE OF RASHOMON.


Long, long ago in Kyoto, the people of the city were terrified by
accounts of a dreadful ogre, who, it was said, haunted the Gate of
Rashomon at twilight and seized whoever passed by. The missing
victims were never seen again, so it was whispered that the ogre was
a horrible cannibal, who not only killed the unhappy victims but ate
them also. Now everybody in the town and neighborhood was in great
fear, and no one durst venture out after sunset near the Gate of
Rashomon.

Now at this time there lived in Kyoto a general named Raiko, who had
made himself famous for his brave deeds. Some time before this he
made the country ring with his name, for he had attacked Oeyama,
where a band of ogres lived with their chief, who instead of wine
drank the blood of human beings. He had routed them all and cut off
the head of the chief monster.

This brave warrior was always followed by a band of faithful
knights. In this band there were five knights of great valor. One
evening as the five knights sat at a feast quaffing SAKE in their
rice bowls and eating all kinds of fish, raw, and stewed, and
broiled, and toasting each other's healths and exploits, the first
knight, Hojo, said to the others:

"Have you all heard the rumor that every evening after sunset there
comes an ogre to the Gate of Rashomon, and that he seizes all who
pass by?"

The second knight, Watanabe, answered him, saying:

"Do not talk such nonsense! All the ogres were killed by our chief
Raiko at Oeyama! It cannot be true, because even if any ogres did
escape from that great killing they would not dare to show
themselves in this city, for they know that our brave master would
at once attack them if he knew that any of them were still alive!"

"Then do you disbelieve what I say, and think that I am telling you
a falsehood?"

"No, I do not think that you are telling a lie," said Watanabe; "but
you have heard some old woman's story which is not worth believing."

"Then the best plan is to prove what I say, by going there yourself
and finding out yourself whether it is true or not," said Hojo.

Watanabe, the second knight, could not bear the thought that his
companion should believe he was afraid, so he answered quickly:

"Of course, I will go at once and find out for myself!"

So Watanabe at once got ready to go--he buckled on his long sword
and put on a coat of armor, and tied on his large helmet. When he
was ready to start he said to the others:

"Give me something so that I can prove I have been there!"

Then one of the men got a roll of writing paper and his box of
Indian ink and brushes, and the four comrades wrote their names on a
piece of paper.

"I will take this," said Watanabe, "and put it on the Gate of
Rashomon, so to-morrow morning will you all go and look at it? I may
be able to catch an ogre or two by then!" and he mounted his horse
and rode off gallantly.

It was a very dark night, and there was neither moon nor star to
light Watanabe on his way. To make the darkness worse a storm came
on, the rain fell heavily and the wind howled like wolves in the
mountains. Any ordinary man would have trembled at the thought of
going out of doors, but Watanabe was a brave warrior and dauntless,
and his honor and word were at stake, so he sped on into the night,
while his companions listened to the sound of his horse's hoofs
dying away in the distance, then shut the sliding shutters close and
gathered round the charcoal fire and wondered what would happen--and
whether their comrade would encounter one of those horrible Oni.

At last Watanabe reached the Gate of Rashomon, but peer as he might
through the darkness he could see no sign of an ogre.

"It is just as I thought," said Watanabe to himself; "there are
certainly no ogres here; it is only an old woman's story. I will
stick this paper on the gate so that the others can see I have been
here when they come to-morrow, and then I will take my way home and
laugh at them all."

He fastened the piece of paper, signed by all his four companions,
on the gate, and then turned his horse's head towards home.

As he did so he became aware that some one was behind him, and at
the same time a voice called out to him to wait. Then his helmet was
seized from the back. "Who are you?" said Watanabe fearlessly. He
then put out his hand and groped around to find out who or what it
was that held him by the helmet. As he did so he touched something
that felt like an arm--it was covered with hair and as big round as
the trunk of a tree!

Watanabe knew at once that this was the arm of an ogre, so he drew
his sword and cut at it fiercely.

There was a loud yell of pain, and then the ogre dashed in front of
the warrior.

Watanabe's eyes grew large with wonder, for he saw that the ogre was
taller than the great gate, his eyes were flashing like mirrors in
the sunlight, and his huge mouth was wide open, and as the monster
breathed, flames of fire shot out of his mouth.

The ogre thought to terrify his foe, but Watanabe never flinched. He
attacked the ogre with all his strength, and thus they fought face
to face for a long time. At last the ogre, finding that he could
neither frighten nor beat Watanabe and that he might himself be
beaten, took to flight. But Watanabe, determined not to let the
monster escape, put spurs to his horse and gave chase.

But though the knight rode very fast the ogre ran faster, and to his
disappointment he found himself unable to overtake the monster, who
was gradually lost to sight.

Watanabe returned to the gate where the fierce fight had taken
place, and got down from his horse. As he did so he stumbled upon
something lying on the ground.

Stooping to pick it up he found that it was one of the ogre's huge
arms which he must have slashed off in the fight. His joy was great
at having secured such a prize, for this was the best of all proofs
of his adventure with the ogre. So he took it up carefully and
carried it home as a trophy of his victory.

When he got back, he showed the arm to his comrades, who one and all
called him the hero of their band and gave him a great feast. His
wonderful deed was soon noised abroad in Kyoto, and people from far
and near came to see the ogre's arm.

Watanabe now began to grow uneasy as to how he should keep the arm
in safety, for he knew that the ogre to whom it belonged was still
alive. He felt sure that one day or other, as soon as the ogre got
over his scare, he would come to try to get his arm back again.
Watanabe therefore had a box made of the strongest wood and banded
with iron. In this he placed the arm, and then he sealed down the
heavy lid, refusing to open it for anyone. He kept the box in his
own room and took charge of it himself, never allowing it out of his
sight.

Now one night he heard some one knocking at the porch, asking for
admittance.

When the servant went to the door to see who it was, there was only
an old woman, very respectable in appearance. On being asked who she
was and what was her business, the old woman replied with a smile
that she had been nurse to the master of the house when he was a
little baby. If the lord of the house were at home she begged to be
allowed to see him.

The servant left the old woman at the door and went to tell his
master that his old nurse had come to see him. Watanabe thought it
strange that she should come at that time of night, but at the
thought of his old nurse, who had been like a foster-mother to him
and whom he had not seen for a long time, a very tender feeling
sprang up for her in his heart. He ordered the servant to show her
in.

The old woman was ushered into the room, and after the customary
bows and greetings were over, she said:

"Master, the report of your brave fight with the ogre at the Gate of
Rashomon is so widely known that even your poor old nurse has heard
of it. Is it really true, what every one says, that you cut off one
of the ogre's arms? If you did, your deed is highly to be praised!"

"I was very disappointed," said Watanabe, "that I was not able take
the monster captive, which was what I wished to do, instead of only
cutting off an arm!"

"I am very proud to think," answered the old woman, "that my master
was so brave as to dare to cut off an ogre's arm. There is nothing
that can be compared to your courage. Before I die it is the great
wish of my life to see this arm," she added pleadingly.

"No," said Watanabe, "I am sorry, but I cannot grant your request."

"But why?" asked the old woman.

"Because," replied Watanabe, "ogres are very revengeful creatures,
and if I open the box there is no telling but that the ogre may
suddenly appear and carry off his arm. I have had a box made on
purpose with a very strong lid, and in this box I keep the ogre's
arm secure; and I never show it to any one, whatever happens."

"Your precaution is very reasonable," said the old woman. "But I am
your old nurse, so surely you will not refuse to show ME the arm. I
have only just heard of your brave act, and not being able to wait
till the morning I came at once to ask you to show it to me."

Watanabe was very troubled at the old woman's pleading, but he still
persisted in refusing. Then the old woman said:

"Do you suspect me of being a spy sent by the ogre?"

"No, of course I do not suspect you of being the ogre's spy, for you
are my old nurse," answered Watanabe.

"Then you cannot surely refuse to show me the arm any longer."
entreated the old woman; "for it is the great wish of my heart to
see for once in my life the arm of an ogre!"

Watanabe could not hold out in his refusal any longer, so he gave in
at last, saying:

"Then I will show you the ogre's arm, since you so earnestly wish to
see it. Come, follow me!" and he led the way to his own room, the
old woman following.

When they were both in the room Watanabe shut the door carefully,
and then going towards a big box which stood in a corner of the
room, he took off the heavy lid. He then called to the old woman to
come near and look in, for he never took the arm out of the box.

"What is it like? Let me have a good look at it," said the old
nurse, with a joyful face.

She came nearer and nearer, as if she were afraid, till she stood
right against the box. Suddenly she plunged her hand into the box
and seized the arm, crying with a fearful voice which made the room
shake:

"Oh, joy! I have got my arm back again!"

And from an old woman she was suddenly transformed into the towering
figure of the frightful ogre!

Watanabe sprang back and was unable to move for a moment, so great
was his astonishment; but recognizing the ogre who had attacked him
at the Gate of Rashomon, he determined with his usual courage to put
an end to him this time. He seized his sword, drew it out of its
sheath in a flash, and tried to cut the ogre down.

So quick was Watanabe that the creature had a narrow escape. But the
ogre sprang up to the ceiling, and bursting through the roof,
disappeared in the mist and clouds.

In this way the ogre escaped with his arm. The knight gnashed his
teeth with disappointment, but that was all he could do. He waited
in patience for another opportunity to dispatch the ogre. But the
latter was afraid of Watanabe's great strength and daring, and never
troubled Kyoto again. So once more the people of the city were able
to go out without fear even at night time, and the brave deeds of
Watanabe have never been forgotten!

[lollipop]

He might be a brave warrior, but he was a bit dim. The arm/old lady thing was a bit predictable...

I like stories

[Goblin King]

;D They certainly have a thing against old women. ;D

I guess when the translator says "knight" they mean Samurai, do you think?

It reminded me a little of Beowulf - the trophy of the Grendel's arm hangs in the hall, this inspires vengeance by Grendel's mum. Perhaps in the original story (which shares the same routes as this one?) it's just one monster or ogre, not son and mother. However, a structuralist might equate the matriarchal qualities of the "old nurse" disguise with Grendel's mother (the revenging female aspect of the monster) ... they are one and the same. erm ...
Oh dear ... brain hurts.

[lollipop]

Well it's your own damn fault for thinking too hard! ;D

[Goblin King]

*sound of brain-valve popping*
It's okay, I think I've done enough damage now for it not to be a problem in future ... ;D

[lollipop]

Story story!

[Goblin King]

Shall I choose or do want to pick another one?

[lollipop]

Let's hear about The Adventures of Kintaro, the Golden Boy.

[Goblin King]

So be it.

---

THE ADVENTURES OF KINTARO, THE GOLDEN BOY.


Long, long ago there lived in Kyoto a brave soldier named Kintoki.
Now he fell in love with a beautiful lady and married her. Not long
after this, through the malice of some of his friends, he fell into
disgrace at Court and was dismissed. This misfortune so preyed upon
his mind that he did not long survive his dismissal--he died,
leaving behind him his beautiful young wife to face the world alone.
Fearing her husband's enemies, she fled to the Ashigara Mountains as
soon as her husband was dead, and there in the lonely forests where
no one ever came except woodcutters, a little boy was born to her.
She called him Kintaro or the Golden Boy. Now the remarkable thing
about this child was his great strength, and as he grew older he
grew stronger and stronger, so that by the time he was eight years
of age he was able to cut down trees as quickly as the woodcutters.
Then his mother gave him a large ax, and he used to go out in the
forest and help the woodcutters, who called him "Wonder-child," and
his mother the "Old Nurse of the Mountains," for they did not know
her high rank. Another favorite pastime of Kintaro's was to smash up
rocks and stones. You can imagine how strong he was!

Quite unlike other boys, Kintaro, grew up all alone in the mountain
wilds, and as he had no companions he made friends with all the
animals and learned to understand them and to speak their strange
talk. By degrees they all grew quite tame and looked upon Kintaro as
their master, and he used them as his servants and messengers. But
his special retainers were the bear, the deer, the monkey and the
hare.

The bear often brought her cubs for Kintaro to romp with, and when
she came to take them home Kintaro would get on her back and have a
ride to her cave. He was very fond of the deer too, and would often
put his arms round the creature's neck to show that its long horns
did not frighten him. Great was the fun they all had together.

One day, as usual, Kintaro went up into the mountains, followed by
the bear, the deer, the monkey, and the hare. After walking for some
time up hill and down dale and over rough roads, they suddenly came
out upon a wide and grassy plain covered with pretty wild flowers.

Here, indeed, was a nice place where they could all have a good romp
together. The deer rubbed his horns against a tree for pleasure, the
monkey scratched his back, the hare smoothed his long ears, and the
bear gave a grunt of satisfaction.

Kintaro said, "Here is a place for a good game. What do you all say
to a wrestling match?"

The bear being the biggest and the oldest, answered for the others:

"That will be great fun," said she. "I am the strongest animal, so I
will make the platform for the wrestlers;" and she set to work with
a will to dig up the earth and to pat it into shape.

"All right," said Kintaro, "I will look on while you all wrestle
with each other. I shall give a prize to the one who wins in each
round."

"What fun! we shall all try to get the prize," said the bear.

The deer, the monkey and the hare set to work to help the bear raise
the platform on which they were all to wrestle. When this was
finished, Kintaro cried out:

"Now begin! the monkey and the hare shall open the sports and the
deer shall be umpire. Now, Mr. Deer, you are to be umpire!"

"He, he!" answered the deer. "I will be umpire. Now, Mr. Monkey and
Mr. Hare, if you are both ready, please walk out and take your
places on the platform."

Then the monkey and the hare both hopped out, quickly and nimbly, to
the wrestling platform. The deer, as umpire, stood between the two
and called out:

"Red-back! Red-back!" (this to the monkey, who has a red back in
Japan). "Are you ready?"

Then he turned to the hare:

"Long-ears! Long-ears! are you ready?"

Both the little wrestlers faced each other while the deer raised a
leaf on high as signal. When he dropped the leaf the monkey and the
hare rushed upon each other, crying "Yoisho, yoisho!"

While the monkey and the hare wrestled, the deer called out
encouragingly or shouted warnings to each of them as the hare or the
monkey pushed each other near the edge of the platform and were in
danger of falling over.

"Red-back! Red-back! stand your ground!" called out the deer.

"Long-ears! Long-ears! be strong, be strong--don't let the monkey
beat you!" grunted the bear.

So the monkey and the hare, encouraged by their friends, tried their
very hardest to beat each other. The hare at last gained on the
monkey. The monkey seemed to trip up, and the hare giving him a good
push sent him flying off the platform with a bound.

The poor monkey sat up rubbing his back, and his face was very long
as he screamed angrily. "Oh, oh! how my back hurts--my back hurts
me!"

Seeing the monkey in this plight on the ground, the deer holding his
leaf on high said:

"This round is finished--the hare has won."

Kintaro then opened his luncheon box and taking out a rice-dumpling,
gave it to the hare saying:

"Here is your prize, and you have earned, it well!"

Now the monkey got up looking very cross, and as they say in Japan
"his stomach stood up," for he felt that he had not been fairly
beaten. So he said to Kintaro and the others who were standing by:

"I have not been fairly beaten. My foot slipped and I tumbled.
Please give me another chance and let the hare wrestle with me for
another round."

Then Kintaro consenting, the hare and the monkey began to wrestle
again. Now, as every one knows, the monkey is a cunning animal by
nature, and he made up his mind to get the best of the hare this
time if it were possible. To do this, he thought that the best and
surest way would be to get hold of the hare's long ear. This he soon
managed to do. The hare was quite thrown off his guard by the pain
of having his long ear pulled so hard, and the monkey seizing his
opportunity at last, caught hold of one of the hare's legs and sent
him sprawling in the middle of the dais. The monkey was now the
victor and received, a rice-dumpling from Kintaro, which pleased him
so much that he quite forgot his sore back.

The deer now came up and asked the hare if he felt ready for another
round, and if so whether be would try a round with him, and the hare
consenting, they both stood up to wrestle. The bear came forward as
umpire.

The deer with long horns and the hare with long ears, it must have
been an amusing sight to those who watched this queer match.
Suddenly the deer went down on one of his knees, and the bear with
the leaf on high declared him beaten. In this way, sometimes the
one, sometimes the other, conquering, the little party amused
themselves till they were tired.

At last Kintaro got up and said:

"This is enough for to-day. What a nice place we have found for
wrestling; let us come again to-morrow. Now, we will all go home.
Come along!" So saying, Kintaro led the way while the animals
followed.

After walking some little distance they came out on the banks of a
river flowing through a valley. Kintaro and his four furry friends
stood and looked about for some means of crossing. Bridge there was
none. The river rushed "don, don" on its way. All the animals looked
serious, wondering how they could cross the stream and get home that
evening.

Kintaro, however, said:

"Wait a moment. I will make a good bridge for you all in a few
minutes."

The bear, the deer, the monkey and the hare looked at him to see
what he would do now.

Kintaro went from one tree to another that grew along the river
bank. At last he stopped in front of a very large tree that was
growing at the water's edge. He took hold of the trunk and pulled it
with all his might, once, twice, thrice! At the third pull, so great
was Kintaro's strength that the roots gave way, and "meri, meri"
(crash, crash), over fell the tree, forming an excellent bridge
across the stream.

"There," said Kintaro, "what do you think of my bridge? It is quite
safe, so follow me," and he stepped across first. The four animals
followed. Never had they seen any one so strong before, and they all
exclaimed:

"How strong he is! how strong he is!"

While all this was going on by the river a woodcutter, who happened
to be standing on a rock overlooking the stream, had seen all that
passed beneath him. He watched with great surprise Kintaro and his
animal companions. He rubbed his eyes to be sure that he was not
dreaming when he saw this boy pull over a tree by the roots and
throw it across the stream to form a bridge.

The woodcutter, for such he seemed to be by his dress, marveled at
all he saw, and said to himself:

"This is no ordinary child. Whose son can he be? I will find out
before this day is done."

He hastened after the strange party and crossed the bridge behind
them. Kintaro knew nothing of all this, and little guessed that he
was being followed. On reaching the other side of the river he and
the animals separated, they to their lairs in the woods and he to
his mother, who was waiting for him.

As soon as he entered the cottage, which stood like a matchbox in
the heart of the pine-woods, he went to greet his mother, saying:

"Okkasan (mother), here I am!"

"O, Kimbo!" said his mother with a bright smile, glad to see her boy
home safe after the long day. "How late you are to-day. I feared
that something had happened to you. Where have you been all the
time?"

"I took my four friends, the bear, the deer, the monkey, and the
hare, up into the hills, and there I made them try a wrestling
match, to see which was the strongest. We all enjoyed the sport, and
are going to the same place to-morrow to have another match."

"Now tell me who is the strongest of all?" asked his mother,
pretending not to know.

"Oh, mother," said Kintaro, "don't you know that I am the strongest?
There was no need for me to wrestle with any of them."

"But next to you then, who is the strongest?"

"The bear comes next to me in strength," answered Kintaro.

"And after the bear?" asked his mother again.

"Next to the bear it is not easy to say which is the strongest, for
the deer, the monkey, and the hare all seem to be as strong as each
other," said Kintaro.

Suddenly Kintaro and his mother were startled by a voice from
outside.

"Listen to me, little boy! Next time you go, take this old man with
you to the wrestling match. He would like to join the sport too!"

It was the old woodcutter who had followed Kintaro from the river.
He slipped off his clogs and entered the cottage. Yama-uba and her
son were both taken by surprise. They looked at the intruder
wonderingly and saw that he was some one they had never seen before.

"Who are you?" they both exclaimed.

Then the woodcutter laughed and said:

"It does not matter who I am yet, but let us see who has the
strongest arm--this boy or myself?"

Then Kintaro, who had lived all his life in the forest, answered the
old man without any ceremony, saying:

"We will have a try if you wish it, but you must not be angry
whoever is beaten."

Then Kintaro and the woodcutter both put out their right arms and
grasped each other's hands. For a long time Kintaro and the old man
wrestled together in this way, each trying to bend the other's arm,
but the old man was very strong, and the strange pair were evenly
matched. At last the old man desisted, declaring it a drawn game.

"You are, indeed, a very strong child. There are few men who can
boast of the strength of my right arm!" said the woodcutter. "I saw
you first on the hanks of the river a few hours ago, when you pulled
up that large tree to make a bridge across the torrent. Hardly able
to believe what I saw I followed you home. Your strength of arm,
which I have just tried, proves what I saw this afternoon. When you
are full-grown you will surely be the strongest man in all Japan. It
is a pity that you are hidden away in these wild mountains."

Then he turned to Kintaro's mother:

"And you, mother, have you no thought of taking your child to the
Capital, and of teaching him to carry a sword as befits a samurai (a
Japanese knight)?"

"You are very kind to take so much interest in my son." replied the
mother; "but he is as you see, wild and uneducated, and I fear it
would be very difficult to do as you say. Because of his great
strength as an infant I hid him away in this unknown part of the
country, for he hurt every one that came near him. I have often
wished that I could, one day, see my boy a knight wearing two
swords, but as we have no influential friend to introduce us at the
Capital, I fear my hope will never come true."

"You need not trouble yourself about that. To tell you the truth I
am no woodcutter! I am one of the great generals of Japan. My name
is Sadamitsu, and I am a vassal of the powerful Lord Minamoto-no-
Raiko. He ordered me to go round the country and look for boys who
give promise of remarkable strength, so that they may be trained as
soldiers for his army. I thought that I could best do this by
assuming the disguise of a woodcutter. By good fortune, I have thus
unexpectedly come across your son. Now if you really wish him to be
a SAMURAI (a knight), I will take him and present him to the Lord
Raiko as a candidate for his service. What do you say to this?"

As the kind general gradually unfolded his plan the mother's heart
was filled with a great joy. She saw that here was a wonderful
chance of the one wish of her life being fulfilled--that of seeing
Kintaro a SAMURAI before she died.

Bowing her head to the ground, she replied:

"I will then intrust my son to you if you really mean what you say."

Kintaro had all this time been sitting by his mother's side
listening to what they said. When his mother finished speaking, he
exclaimed:

"Oh, joy! joy! I am to go with the general and one day I shall be a
SAMURAI!"

Thus Kintaro's fate was settled, and the general decided to start
for the Capital at once, taking Kintaro with him. It need hardly be
said that Yama-uba was sad at parting with her boy, for he was all
that was left to her. But she hid her grief with a strong face, as
they say in Japan. She knew that it was for her boy's good that he
should leave her now, and she must not discourage him just as he was
setting out. Kintaro promised never to forget her, and said that as
soon as he was a knight wearing two swords he would build her a home
and take care of her in her old age.

All the animals, those he had tamed to serve him, the bear, the
deer, the monkey, and the hare, as soon as they found out that he
was going away, came to ask if they might attend him as usual. When
they learned that he was going away for good they followed him to
the foot of the mountain to see him off.

"Kimbo," said his mother, "mind and be a good boy."

"Mr. Kintaro," said the faithful animals, "we wish you good health
on your travels."

Then they all climbed a tree to see the last of him, and from that
height they watched him and his shadow gradually grow smaller and
smaller, till he was lost to sight.

The general Sadamitsu went on his way rejoicing at having so
unexpectedly found such a prodigy as Kintaro.

Having arrived at their destination the general took Kintaro at once
to his Lord, Minamoto-no-Raiko, and told him all about Kintaro and
how he had found the child. Lord Raiko was delighted with the story,
and having commanded Kintaro to be brought to him, made him one of
his vassals at once.

Lord Raiko's army was famous for its band called "The Four Braves."
These warriors were chosen by himself from amongst the bravest and
strongest of his soldiers, and the small and well-picked band was
distinguished throughout the whole of Japan for the dauntless
courage of its men.

When Kintaro grew up to be a man his master made him the Chief of
the Four Braves. He was by far the strongest of them all. Soon after
this event, news was brought to the city that a cannibal monster had
taken up his abode not far away and that people were stricken with
fear. Lord Raiko ordered Kintaro to the rescue. He immediately
started off, delighted at the prospect of trying his sword.

Surprising the monster in its den, he made short work of cutting off
its great head, which he carried back in triumph to his master.

Kintaro now rose to be the greatest hero of his country, and great
was the power and honor and wealth that came to him. He now kept his
promise and built a comfortable home for his old mother, who lived
happily with him in the Capital to the end of her days.

Is not this the story of a great hero?

---

[Goblin King]

Hmm. The animals should have joined him, and then helped him to slay monsters!

[lollipop]

Only halfway through, but...

Here, indeed, was a nice place where they could all have a good romp
together.

[lollipop]

Yeah, they should've. This one wasn't really much of a story, was it? It didn't seem to go anywhere.

[Goblin King]

Animals like to romp. ;D

Indeed, the oddness of the story may mean it's likely to be unaltered from an original source. The important elements or points of significance may actually be lost on us, because it might all be about a restoration of family honour, by comparison nothing else may matter, so loose ends are ignored (?) - not too mention that the animals may also be recognisable symbols to a Japanese audience - perhaps the passing of time in years and experience? (Is there a Year of the Bear? hmm ... okay, ignore last theory.)

[lollipop]

I don't think there's a Year of the Bear... Isn't that Chinese mythology anyway? ...

I'm reading a book on mythology atm

Am I right in saying you're the Year of the Pig, GK?

[Goblin King]

ooh, very good!
I'm not sure what I am - a Pig or Rat - depends when the new year fell in 1972 - my birthday is at the end of January. What are you again? A snakey dragon?

[lollipop]

Hmm yes. I was assuming it would be Feb, but you're right, it's sometimes late Jan.

I could only work it out because you'll be a multiple of 12 in January, so same Chinese year as this year! Otherwise I wouldn't have had a clue.

I am a TIGER. Fear me!

[Goblin King]

Scary Tiger with numeracy skills!

OINK!!

[lollipop]

Interestingly, assuming you are a Pig, I now know two Pigs at 12-year intervals and two Tigers at 12-year intervals. Maybe I should start collecting.

[Goblin King]

Collecting? Does this involve me being sealed in cellophane in order to preserve my Ebay price?

[lollipop]

Well seeing as one of the Tigers is me, and I don't fancy being sealed in cellophane myself, no.

Although if it was some kind of wacky foreplay, who knows?

[Goblin King]

Safe though!
No idea what you're talking about, this is an innocent story thread after all.

[lollipop]

I think it's time for another story!
How about
THE STONES OF FIVE COLORS AND THE EMPRESS JOKWA?

[Goblin King]

Okay.

*rifles through scrolls* *coughs from dust*

...

[Goblin King]

THE STONES OF FIVE COLORS AND THE EMPRESS JOKWA.

AN OLD CHINESE STORY.


Long, long ago there lived a great Chinese Empress who succeeded her
brother the Emperor Fuki. It was the age of giants, and the Empress
Jokwa, for that was her name, was twenty-five feet high, nearly as
tall as her brother. She was a wonderful woman, and an able ruler.
There is an interesting story of how she mended a part of the broken
heavens and one of the terrestrial pillars which upheld the sky,
both of which were damaged during a rebellion raised by one of King
Fuki's subjects.

The rebel's name was Kokai. He was twenty-six feet high. His body
was entirely covered with hair, and his face was as black as iron.
He was a wizard and a very terrible character indeed. When the
Emperor Fuki died, Kokai was bitten with the ambition to be Emperor
of China, but his plan failed, and Jokwa, the dead Emperor's sister,
mounted the throne. Kokai was so angry at being thwarted in his
desire that he raised a revolt. His first act was to employ the
Water Devil, who caused a great flood to rush over the country. This
swamped the poor people out of their homes, and when the Empress
Jokwa saw the plight of her subjects, and knew it was Kokai's fault,
she declared war against him.

Now Jokwa, the Empress, had two young warriors called Hako and Eiko,
and the former she made General of the front forces. Hako was
delighted that the Empress's choice should fall on him, and he
prepared himself for battle. He took up the longest lance he could
find and mounted a red horse, and was just about to set out when he
heard some one galloping hard behind him and shouting:

"Hako! Stop! The general of the front forces must be I!"

He looked back and saw Eiko his comrade, riding on a white horse, in
the act of unsheathing a large sword to draw upon him. Hako's anger
was kindled, and as he turned to face his rival he cried:

"Insolent wretch! I have been appointed by the Empress to lead the
front forces to battle. Do you dare to stop me?"

"Yes," answered Eiko. "I ought to lead the army. It is you who
should follow me."

At this bold reply Hako's anger burst from a spark into a flame.

"Dare you answer me thus? Take that," and he lunged at him with his
lance.

But Eiko moved quickly aside, and at the same time, raising his
sword, he wounded the head of the General's horse. Obliged to
dismount, Hako was about to rush at his antagonist, when Eiko, as
quick as lightning, tore from his breast the badge of commandership
and galloped away. The action was so quick that Hako stood dazed,
not knowing what to do.

The Empress had been a spectator of the scene, and she could not but
admire the quickness of the ambitious Eiko, and in order to pacify
the rivals she determined to appoint them both to the Generalship of
the front army.

So Hako was made commander of the left wing of the front army, and
Eiko of the right. One hundred thousand soldiers followed them and
marched to put down the rebel Kokai.

Within a short time the two Generals reached the castle where Kokai
had fortified himself. When aware of their approach, the wizard
said:

"I will blow these two poor children away with one breath." (He
little thought how hard he would find the fight.)

With these words Kokai seized an iron rod and mounted a black horse,
and rushed forth like an angry tiger to meet his two foes.

As the two young warriors saw him tearing down upon them, they said
to each other: "We must not let him escape alive," and they attacked
him from the right and from the left with sword and with lance. But
the all-powerful Kokai was not to be easily beaten--he whirled his
iron rod round like a great water-wheel, and for a long time they
fought thus, neither side gaining nor losing. At last, to avoid the
wizard's iron rod, Hako turned his horse too quickly; the animal's
hoofs struck against a large stone, and in a fright the horse reared
as straight on end as a screen, throwing his master to the ground.

Thereupon Kokai drew his three-edged sword and was about to kill the
prostrate Hako, but before the wizard could work his wicked will the
brave Eiko had wheeled his horse in front of Kokai and dared him to
try his strength with him, and not to kill a fallen man. But Kokai
was tired, and he did not feel inclined to face this fresh and
dauntless young soldier, so suddenly wheeling his horse round, he
fled from the fray.

Hako, who had been only slightly stunned, had by this time got upon
his feet, and he and his comrade rushed after the retreating enemy,
the one on foot and the other on horseback.

Kokai, seeing that he was pursued, turned upon his nearest
assailant, who was, of course, the mounted Eiko, and drawing forth
an arrow from the quiver at his back, fitted it to his bow and drew
upon Eiko.

As quick as lightning the wary Eiko avoided the shaft, which only
touched his helmet strings, and glancing off, fell harmless against
Hako's coat of armor.

The wizard saw that both his enemies remained unscathed. He also
knew that there was no time to pull a second arrow before they would
be upon him, so to save himself he resorted to magic. He stretched
forth his wand, and immediately a great flood arose, and Jokwa's
army and her brave young Generals were swept away like a falling of
autumn leaves on a stream.

Hako and Eiko found themselves struggling neck deep in water, and
looking round they saw the ferocious Kokai making towards them
through the water with his iron rod on high. They thought every
moment that they would be cut down, but they bravely struck out to
swim as far as they could from Kokai's reach. All of a sudden they
found themselves in front of what seemed to be an island rising
straight out of the water. They looked up, and there stood an old
man with hair as white as snow, smiling at them. They cried to him
to help them. The old man nodded his head and came down to the edge
of the water. As soon as his feet touched the flood it divided, and
a good road appeared, to the amazement of the drowning men, who now
found themselves safe.

Kokai had by this time reached the island which had risen as if by a
miracle out of the water, and seeing his enemies thus saved he was
furious. He rushed through the water upon the old man, and it seemed
as if he would surely be killed. But the old man appeared not in the
least dismayed, and calmly awaited the wizard's onslaught.

As Kokai drew near, the old man laughed aloud merrily, and turning
into a large and beautiful white crane, flapped his wings and flew
upwards into the heavens.

When Hako and Eiko saw this, they knew that their deliverer was no
mere human being--was perhaps a god in disguise--and they hoped
later on to find out who the venerable old man was.

In the meantime they had retreated, and it being now the close of
day, for the sun was setting, both Kokai and the young warriors gave
up the idea of fighting more that day.

That night Hako and Eiko decided that it was useless to fight
against the wizard Kokai, for he had supernatural powers, while they
were only human. So they presented themselves before the Empress
Jokwa. After a long consultation, the Empress decided to ask the
Fire King, Shikuyu, to help her against the rebel wizard and to lead
her army against him.

Now Shikuyu, the Fire King, lived at the South Pole. It was the only
safe place for him to be in, for he burnt up everything around him
anywhere else, but it was impossible to burn up ice and snow. To
look at he was a giant, and stood thirty feet high. His face was
just like marble, and his hair and beard long and as white as snow.
His strength was stupendous, and he was master of all fire just as
Kokai was of water.

"Surely," thought the Empress, "Shikuyu can conquer Kokai." So she
sent Eiko to the South Pole to beg Shikuyu to take the war against
Kokai into his own hands and conquer him once for all.

The Fire King, on hearing the Empress's request, smiled and said:

"That is an easy matter, to be sure! It was none other than I who
came to your rescue when you and your companion were drowning in the
flood raised by Kokai!"

Eiko was surprised at learning this. He thanked the Fire King for
coming to the rescue in their dire need, and then besought him to
return with him and lead the war and defeat the wicked Kokai.

Shikuyu did as he was asked, and returned with Eiko to the Empress.
She welcomed the Fire King cordially, and at once told him why she
had sent for him--to ask him to be the Generalissimo of her army.
His reply was very reassuring:

"Do not have any anxiety. I will certainly kill Kokai."

Shikuyu then placed himself at the head of thirty thousand soldiers,
and with Hako and Eiko showing him the way, marched to the enemy's
castle. The Fire King knew the secret of Kokai's power, and he now
told all the soldiers to gather a certain kind of shrub. This they
burned in large quantities, and each soldier was then ordered to
fill a bag full of the ashes thus obtained.

Kokai, on the other hand, in his own conceit, thought that Shikuyu
was of inferior power to himself, and he murmured angrily:

"Even though you are the Fire King, I can soon extinguish you."

Then he repeated an incantation, and the water-floods rose and
welled as high as mountains. Shikuyu, not in the least frightened,
ordered his soldiers to scatter the ashes which he had caused them
to make. Every man did as he was bid, and such was the power of the
plant that they had burned, that as soon as the ashes mingled with
the water a stiff mud was formed, and they were all safe from
drowning.

Now Kokai the wizard was dismayed when he saw that the Fire King was
superior in wisdom to himself, and his anger was so great that he
rushed headlong towards the enemy.

Eiko rode to meet him, and the two fought together for some time.
They were well matched in a hand-to-hand combat. Hako, who was
carefully watching the fray, saw that Eiko began to tire, and
fearing that his companion would be killed, he took his place.

But Kokai had tired as well, and feeling him self unable to hold out
against Hako, he said artfully:

"You are too magnanimous, thus to fight for your friend and run the
risk of being killed. I will not hurt such a good man."

And he pretended to retreat, turning away the head of his horse. His
intention was to throw Hako off his guard and then to wheel round
and take him by surprise.

But Shikuyu understood the wily wizard, and he spoke at once:

"You are a coward! You cannot deceive me!"

Saying this, the Fire King made a sign to the unwary Hako to attack
him. Kokai now turned upon Shikuyu furiously, but he was tired and
unable to fight well, and he soon received a wound in his shoulder.
He now broke from the fray and tried to escape in earnest.

While the fight between their leaders had been going on the two
armies had stood waiting for the issue. Shikuyu now turned and bade
Jokwa's soldiers charge the enemy's forces. This they did, and
routed them with great slaughter, and the wizard barely escaped with
his life.

It was in vain that Kokai called upon the Water Devil to help him,
for Shikuyu knew the counter-charm. The wizard found that the battle
was against him. Mad with pain, for his wound began to trouble him,
and frenzied with disappointment and fear, he dashed his head
against the rocks of Mount Shu and died on the spot.

There was an end of the wicked Kokai, but not of trouble in the
Empress Jokwa's Kingdom, as you shall see. The force with which the
wizard fell against the rocks was so great that the mountain burst,
and fire rushed out from the earth, and one of the pillars upholding
the Heavens was broken so that one corner of the sky dropped till it
touched the earth.

Shikuyu, the Fire King, took up the body of the wizard and carried
it to the Empress Jokwa, who rejoiced greatly that her enemy was
vanquished, and her generals victorious. She showered all manner of
gifts and honors upon Shikuyu.

But all this time fire was bursting from the mountain broken by the
fall of Kokai. Whole villages were destroyed, rice-fields burnt up,
river beds filled with the burning lava, and the homeless people
were in great distress. So the Empress left the capital as soon as
she had rewarded the victor Shikuyu, and journeyed with all speed to
the scene of disaster. She found that both Heaven and earth had
sustained damage, and the place was so dark that she had to light
her lamp to find out the extent of the havoc that had been wrought.

Having ascertained this, she set to work at repairs. To this end she
ordered her subjects to collect stones of five colors--blue, yellow,
red, white and black. When she had obtained these, she boiled them
with a kind of porcelain in a large caldron, and the mixture became
a beautiful paste, and with this she knew that she could mend the
sky. Now all was ready.

Summoning the clouds that were sailing ever so high above her head,
she mounted them, and rode heavenwards, carrying in her hands the
vase containing the paste made from the stones of five colors. She
soon reached the corner of the sky that was broken, and applied the
paste and mended it. Having done this, she turned her attention to
the broken pillar, and with the legs of a very large tortoise she
mended it. When this was finished she mounted the clouds and
descended to the earth, hoping to find that all was now right, but
to her dismay she found that it was still quite dark. Neither the
sun shone by day nor the moon by night.

Greatly perplexed, she at last called a meeting of all the wise men
of the Kingdom, and asked their advice as to what she should do in
this dilemma.

Two of the wisest said:

"The roads of Heaven have been damaged by the late accident, and the
Sun and Moon have been obliged to stay at home. Neither the Sun
could make his daily journey nor the Moon her nightly one because of
the bad roads. The Sun and Moon do not yet know that your Majesty
has mended all that was damaged, so we will go and inform them that
since you have repaired them the roads are safe."

The Empress approved of what the wise men suggested, and ordered
them to set out on their mission. But this was not easy, for the
Palace of the Sun and Moon was many, many hundreds of thousands of
miles distant into the East. If they traveled on foot they might
never reach the place, they would die of old age on the road. But
Jokwa had recourse to magic. She gave her two ambassadors wonderful
chariots which could whirl through the air by magic power a thousand
miles per minute. They set out in good spirits, riding above the
clouds, and after many days they reached the country where the Sun
and the Moon were living happily together.

The two ambassadors were granted an interview with their Majesties
of Light and asked them why they had for so many days secluded
themselves from the Universe? Did they not know that by doing so
they plunged the world and all its people into uttermost darkness
both day and night?

Replied the Sun and the Moon:

"Surely you know that Mount Shu has suddenly burst forth with fire,
and the roads of Heaven have been greatly damaged! I, the Sun, found
it impossible to make my daily journey along such rough roads--and
certainly the Moon could not issue forth at night! so we both
retired into private life for a time."

Then the two wise men bowed themselves to the ground and said:

"Our Empress Jokwa has already repaired the roads with the wonderful
stones of five colors, so we beg to assure your Majesties that the
roads are just as they were before the eruption took place."

But the Sun and the Moon still hesitated, saying that they had heard
that one of the pillars of Heaven had been broken as well, and they
feared that, even if the roads had been remade, it would still be
dangerous for them to sally forth on their usual journeys.

"You need have no anxiety about the broken pillar," said the two
ambassadors. "Our Empress restored it with the legs of a great
tortoise, and it is as firm as ever it was."

Then the Sun and Moon appeared satisfied, and they both set out to
try the roads. They found that what the Empress's deputies had told
them was correct.

After the examination of the heavenly roads, the Sun and Moon again
gave light to the earth. All the people rejoiced greatly, and peace
and prosperity were secured in China for a long time under the reign
of the wise Empress Jokwa.

THE END.

[lollipop]

Now Shikuyu, the Fire King, lived at the South Pole. It was the only
safe place for him to be in, for he burnt up everything around him
anywhere else, but it was impossible to burn up ice and snow. To
look at he was a giant, and stood thirty feet high. His face was
just like marble, and his hair and beard long and as white as snow.
His strength was stupendous, and he was master of all fire just as
Kokai was of water.

I blame Shikuyu for global warming! ;D

[Goblin King]

Yes, yes! It's all his fault! ;D

I'm still reading this story. I have a very short attention sp

[lollipop]

I found a tale from here: www.gutenberg.org/files/19993/19993-h/19993-h.htm
And thought it would do well in this thread...

THE WREN AND THE BEAR

ONE summer's day the bear and the wolf were walking in the forest, and the bear heard a bird singing very sweetly, and said: "Brother Wolf, what kind of bird is that which is singing so delightfully?"

"That is the King of the birds, before whom we must do reverence," replied the wolf; but it was only the wren.

"If that be so," said the bear, "I should like to see his royal palace; come, lead me to it." "That cannot be as you like," replied the wolf. "You must wait till the Queen returns." Soon afterward the Queen arrived with some food in her bill, and the King, too, to feed their young ones, and the bear would have gone off to see them, but the wolf, pulling his ear, said: "No, you must wait till the Queen and the King are both off again."

So, after observing well the situation of the nest, the two tramped off, but the bear had no rest, for he wished still to see the royal palace, and after a short delay he set off to it again. He found the King and Queen absent, and, peeping into the nest, he saw five or six young birds lying in it. "Is this the royal palace?" exclaimed the bear; "this miserable place! You are no King's children, but wretched young vagabonds." "No, no, that we are not!" burst out the little wrens together in a great passion, for to them this speech was addressed. "No, no, we are born of honorable parents, and you, Mr. Bear, shall make your words good!" At this speech the bear and the wolf were much frightened, and ran back to their holes; but the little wrens kept up an unceasing, clamor till their parents' return. As soon as they came back with food in their mouths the little birds began, "We will none of us touch a fly's leg, but will starve rather, until you decide whether we are fine and handsome children or not, for the bear has been here and insulted us!"

"Be quiet," replied the King, "and that shall soon be settled." And thereupon he flew with his Queen to the residence of the bear, and called to him from the entrance, "Old grumbler, why have you insulted my children? That shall cost you dear, for we will decide the matter by a pitched battle."

War having thus been declared against the bear, all the four-footed beasts were summoned: the ox, the ass, the cow, the goat, the stag, and every animal on the face of the earth. The wren, on the other hand, summoned every flying thing; not only the birds, great and small, but also the gnat, the hornet, the bee, and the flies.

When the time arrived for the commencement of the war, the wren King sent out spies to see who was appointed commander-in-chief of the enemy. The gnat was the most cunning of all the army, and he, therefore, buzzed away into the forest where the enemy was encamped, and alighted on a leaf of the tree beneath which the watchword was given out. There stood the bear and called the fox to him, and said: "You are the most crafty of animals, so you must be general, and lead us on." "Well," said the fox, "but what sign shall we appoint?" Nobody answered. Then the fox said: "I have a fine long bushy tail, which looks like a red feather at a distance; if I hold this tail straight up, all is going well and you must march after me; but if I suffer it to hang down, run away as fast as you can." As soon as the gnat heard all this she flew home and told the wren King everything to a hair.

When the day arrived for the battle to begin, the four-footed beasts all came running along to the field, shaking the earth with their roaring and bellowing. The wren King also came with his army, whirring and buzzing and humming enough to terrify any one out of his senses. Then the wren King sent the hornet forward to settle upon the fox's tail and sting it with all his power. As soon as the fox felt the first sting he drew up his hind leg with the pain, still carrying, however, his tail as high in the air as before; at the second sting he was obliged to drop it a little bit; but at the third he could no longer bear the pain, but was forced to drop his tail between his legs. As soon as the other beasts saw this, they thought all was lost, and began to run each one to his own hole; so the birds won the battle without difficulty.

When all was over the wren King and his Queen flew home to their children, and cried out: "Rejoice! rejoice! we have won the battle; now eat and drink as much as you please."

The young wrens, however, said: "Still we will not eat till the bear has come to our nest and begged pardon, and admitted that we are fine and handsome children."

So the wren King flew back to the cave of the bear, and called out, "Old grumbler, you must come to the nest and beg pardon of my children for calling them wretched young brats, else your ribs shall be crushed in your body!"

In great terror the bear crept out and begged pardon; and afterward the young wrens, being now made happy in their minds, settled down to eating and drinking, and I am afraid they were over-excited and kept up their merriment far too late.

[Goblin King]

Ooh Yes! A new tale to read!

(exalts!)

[lollipop]

Thank you

[Goblin King]

I finally got around to reading this recently and I must say I find the gnat to be a very unlikely ally to the birds - unless it was frightened of being eaten!

(You know, sometimes I reckon that they just make these stories up ... )