The Blue Mountains (fairy tale)
Encyclopedia
The Blue Mountains is a fairy tale
. Andrew Lang
included it in The Yellow Fairy Book, but provided no bibliographical information.
The Irishman saw the same castle and went to it, but when the lady gave him food, he stared about the castle and did not eat. When she asked, he said he could not eat without knowing who she was or where she came from, or how she came there. She told him she was an enchanted
princess
, and if a man stayed in a little room from ten until midnight for three
nights running, she would be freed. Every night creatures came into the room and beat him, but the princess had a bottle
that cured him every morning.
She went off and told him she would back in a coach and six. A little lad came, and when he went to wait for the princess, the lad stuck a pin in his coat, putting him to sleep. When the princess came, the lad told her he was asleep. The princess said she would come once more, and then he would not see her again. The Irishman resolved to keep away, but the boy stuck the pin in his coat again, and the princess left, leaving him a sword.
He woke up the other men in the castle and gave them silver and plate to carry away and set out in search of her. Three years later, he pulled out the sword in order to kill himself and found written on it, You will find me in the Blue Mountains. He set out in search of the Blue Mountains and found an old man who had not seen anyone in three hundred years. The old man, that night, looked through his book, which contained the history of the world, but found nothing of where the Blue Mountains were. He blew a magical whistle, which let the Irishman travel to his brother's, nine hundred miles away, in a day. This brother summoned all the birds to consult them. Last of all, an eagle came; it had come from the Blue Mountains. The eagle said that the daughter of the king of the Blue Mountains was about to marry, because she had agreed with her father that if the man who had saved her had not arrived in that time, she would marry.
The eagle said if they killed sixty cattle and the Irishman would throw quarter of one into its mouth every time it turned its head, it could carry him. So he and the old man hunted, and it flew off with him and the meat, but near the castle, the meat ran out, and the eagle threw him off. He landed in the bay and was able to get ashore. He gave a guinea to the king's henwife to bring the princess to him. She recognized the Irishman and married him instead of her new bridegroom
.
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
. Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.- Biography :Lang was born in Selkirk...
included it in The Yellow Fairy Book, but provided no bibliographical information.
Synopsis
A Scotsman, an Englishman and an Irishman all ran away from the army together. After several days, the Scotsman saw a castle, went to it without speaking to the others, and met a lady. At his request, she gave him a meal and a bed to sleep. And then the same thing happened to the Englishman.The Irishman saw the same castle and went to it, but when the lady gave him food, he stared about the castle and did not eat. When she asked, he said he could not eat without knowing who she was or where she came from, or how she came there. She told him she was an enchanted
Incantation
An incantation or enchantment is a charm or spell created using words. An incantation may take place during a ritual, either a hymn or prayer, and may invoke or praise a deity. In magic, occultism, witchcraft it may be used with the intention of casting a spell on an object or a person...
princess
Princess and dragon
Princess and dragon is a generic premise common to many legends and fairy tales. It is not a fairy tale itself, but along with Prince Charming, is a repeated cliché...
, and if a man stayed in a little room from ten until midnight for three
Rule of three (writing)
The "rule of three" is a principle in writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. The reader/audience of this form of text is also more likely to consume information if it is written in groups of...
nights running, she would be freed. Every night creatures came into the room and beat him, but the princess had a bottle
Potion
A potion is a consumable medicine or poison.In mythology and literature, a potion is usually made by a magician, sorcerer, dragon, fairy or witch and has magical properties. It might be used to heal, bewitch or poison people...
that cured him every morning.
She went off and told him she would back in a coach and six. A little lad came, and when he went to wait for the princess, the lad stuck a pin in his coat, putting him to sleep. When the princess came, the lad told her he was asleep. The princess said she would come once more, and then he would not see her again. The Irishman resolved to keep away, but the boy stuck the pin in his coat again, and the princess left, leaving him a sword.
He woke up the other men in the castle and gave them silver and plate to carry away and set out in search of her. Three years later, he pulled out the sword in order to kill himself and found written on it, You will find me in the Blue Mountains. He set out in search of the Blue Mountains and found an old man who had not seen anyone in three hundred years. The old man, that night, looked through his book, which contained the history of the world, but found nothing of where the Blue Mountains were. He blew a magical whistle, which let the Irishman travel to his brother's, nine hundred miles away, in a day. This brother summoned all the birds to consult them. Last of all, an eagle came; it had come from the Blue Mountains. The eagle said that the daughter of the king of the Blue Mountains was about to marry, because she had agreed with her father that if the man who had saved her had not arrived in that time, she would marry.
The eagle said if they killed sixty cattle and the Irishman would throw quarter of one into its mouth every time it turned its head, it could carry him. So he and the old man hunted, and it flew off with him and the meat, but near the castle, the meat ran out, and the eagle threw him off. He landed in the bay and was able to get ashore. He gave a guinea to the king's henwife to bring the princess to him. She recognized the Irishman and married him instead of her new bridegroom
False hero
The false hero is a stock character in fairy tales, and sometimes also in ballads. The character appears near the end of a story in order to claim to be the hero or heroine and is, therefore, always of the same sex as the hero or heroine. The false hero presents some claim to the position. By...
.
See also
- The King of the Gold MountainThe King of the Gold MountainThe King of the Gold Mountain is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales.It is Aarne-Thompson type 401A, the enchanted princess in her castle...
- The RavenThe Raven (Brothers Grimm)"The Raven" is a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 93 in their collections.It is Aarne-Thompson type 401, the girl transformed into an animal.-Synopsis:...
- The Three Princesses of WhitelandThe Three Princesses of WhitelandThe Three Princesses of Whiteland is a Norwegian fairy tale, collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. Andrew Lang collected it in The Red Fairy Book....
- The King Of Lochlin's Three DaughtersThe King Of Lochlin's Three Daughters"The King of Lochlin's Three Daughters" is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in his Popular Tales of the West Highlands, listing his informant as Neill Gillies, a fisherman near Inverary.-Synopsis:...
- The Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of LifeThe Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of LifeThe Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of Life is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki.-Synopsis:...
- The Three DogsThe Three DogsThe Three Dogs is a German fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Green Fairy Book, listing his source as the Brothers Grimm. A version of this tale appears in A Book of Dragons by Ruth Manning-Sanders....
- Prâslea the Brave and the Golden ApplesPrâslea the Brave and the Golden ApplesPrâslea the Brave and the Golden Apples is a Romanian fairy tale collected by Petre Ispirescu in Legende sau basmele românilor.-Synopsis:...