The Magician's Horse
Encyclopedia
The Magician's Horse is a Greek
fairy tale
. Andrew Lang
included it in The Grey Fairy Book.
got lost. He came to a great hall and ate there. Then he found an old man, who asked him who he was. He told how he had become lost and offered to enter his service. The old man set him to keep the stove lit, to fetch the firewood from the forest, and to take care of the black horse in the stables.
The man was a magician, and the fire was the source of his power, though he did not tell the prince.
One day, the prince nearly let the fire go out, and the old man stormed in. Frightened, the prince threw another log on it and nursed it back.
The horse told him to saddle and bridle it, to use an ointment that made his hair like gold, and to pile all the wood he could on the fire. This set the hall on fire. The horse then told him to take looking-glass, a brush and a riding-whip, and ride off on him. The magician chased on a roan horse, but the prince threw down the looking glass, the horse cut its feet on it, and the magician had to go back to put new shoes on him, but then he chased the prince again. The horse had the prince throw the brush on the ground. This produced a thick wood, and the magician had to go back and get an axe to cut through it, but then he chased the prince again. The prince threw down the whip; it became a river, and when the magician tried to cross it, it put out his magical fire and killed him.
The horse told the prince to strike the ground with a willow
wand. A door opened, making a hall in which the horse stayed, but he sent the prince through the fields to take service with a king. He wore a scarf to hide his golden hair. He worked as a gardener and every day brought half his food to the horse.
One day, the horse told him that the king's three daughters would chose their husbands: a great company of lords would gather, and they would throw their diamond apples into the air. The man at whose feet the apple stopped would be the bridegroom. He should be in the garden, nearby, and the youngest's would roll to him; he should take it up at once.
He did. The scarf slipped a little, the princess saw his hair and fell in love at once, and the king, though reluctant, let them marry.
Soon after, the king had to go to war. He gave the prince a broken-down nag. The prince went to the black horse; it gave him arms and armor, and he rode it to battle and won the battle, but fled before he could be clearly seen. Twice more, he went to war, but the third
time, he was wounded, and the king bound his wound with his own handkerchief. The princess his wife recognized it and revealed it to her father. There was great rejoicing, and the king gave him half his kingdom.
and The Gifts of the Magician
. A less common variant, found only in Europe, opens with the hero rescuing a wild man, as in Iron John
, Guerrino and the Savage Man
, and The Hairy Man
.
The motifs are found in many more tales. While getting a horse is a frequent quest object, it is usually the side effect of needing it for something else, as in The Death of Koschei the Deathless
or The Nine Peahens and the Golden Apples
. It is generally a gift of the donor
, as in Făt-Frumos with the Golden Hair
.
When the hero is working for the villain, the usual aid comes from a woman who is the heroine -- The Battle of the Birds
, The White Dove, or The Master Maid
-- and therefore does not end as this one does, with an additional adventure to gain a bride, as in The Hairy Man
.
Compare Prince Ring
.
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
fairy tale
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 Grey Fairy Book.
Synopsis
A king's three sons went hunting, and the youngestYoungest son
The youngest son is a stock character in fairy tales, where he features as the hero. He is usually the third son, but sometimes there are more brothers, and sometimes he has only one; usually, they have no sisters....
got lost. He came to a great hall and ate there. Then he found an old man, who asked him who he was. He told how he had become lost and offered to enter his service. The old man set him to keep the stove lit, to fetch the firewood from the forest, and to take care of the black horse in the stables.
The man was a magician, and the fire was the source of his power, though he did not tell the prince.
One day, the prince nearly let the fire go out, and the old man stormed in. Frightened, the prince threw another log on it and nursed it back.
The horse told him to saddle and bridle it, to use an ointment that made his hair like gold, and to pile all the wood he could on the fire. This set the hall on fire. The horse then told him to take looking-glass, a brush and a riding-whip, and ride off on him. The magician chased on a roan horse, but the prince threw down the looking glass, the horse cut its feet on it, and the magician had to go back to put new shoes on him, but then he chased the prince again. The horse had the prince throw the brush on the ground. This produced a thick wood, and the magician had to go back and get an axe to cut through it, but then he chased the prince again. The prince threw down the whip; it became a river, and when the magician tried to cross it, it put out his magical fire and killed him.
The horse told the prince to strike the ground with a willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
wand. A door opened, making a hall in which the horse stayed, but he sent the prince through the fields to take service with a king. He wore a scarf to hide his golden hair. He worked as a gardener and every day brought half his food to the horse.
One day, the horse told him that the king's three daughters would chose their husbands: a great company of lords would gather, and they would throw their diamond apples into the air. The man at whose feet the apple stopped would be the bridegroom. He should be in the garden, nearby, and the youngest's would roll to him; he should take it up at once.
He did. The scarf slipped a little, the princess saw his hair and fell in love at once, and the king, though reluctant, let them marry.
Soon after, the king had to go to war. He gave the prince a broken-down nag. The prince went to the black horse; it gave him arms and armor, and he rode it to battle and won the battle, but fled before he could be clearly seen. Twice more, he went to war, but the third
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...
time, he was wounded, and the king bound his wound with his own handkerchief. The princess his wife recognized it and revealed it to her father. There was great rejoicing, and the king gave him half his kingdom.
Variants on motifs
This particular type of tale is well known, being particularly found in Germany, Scandanvia, and the Baltic, but also throughout Europe, and appears in Asia down to Indonesia and also in Africa. Other tales like this include Little Johnny Sheep-DungLittle Johnny Sheep-Dung
Little Alex Sheep-Dung is a French fairy tale collected by Achille Millien and Paul Delarue.-Synopsis:A good-for-nothing boy once begged a sheepskin from butchers; it was so filthy he came to be called "Little Johnny Sheep-Dung". One day, he met a bourgeois on a horse, who hired him on the...
and The Gifts of the Magician
The Gifts of the Magician
The Gifts of the Magician is a Finnish fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Crimson Fairy Book, listing his source as Finnische Mahrchen.-Synopsis:...
. A less common variant, found only in Europe, opens with the hero rescuing a wild man, as in Iron John
Iron John
"Iron John" is a German fairy tale found in the collections of the Brothers Grimm, tale number 136, about a wild man and a prince...
, Guerrino and the Savage Man
Guerrino and the Savage Man
Guerrino and the Savage Man is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giovanni Francesco Straparola in The Facetious Nights of Straparola....
, and The Hairy Man
The Hairy Man
The Hairy Man is a Russian fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Crimson Fairy Book.-Synopsis:Two ricks of a king's rapeseed fields are found burned every night. Finally, a shepherd with dogs keeps watch, and catches the "hairy man" who is responsible. The king puts him in a cage...
.
The motifs are found in many more tales. While getting a horse is a frequent quest object, it is usually the side effect of needing it for something else, as in The Death of Koschei the Deathless
The Death of Koschei the Deathless
The Death of the Immortal Koschei or Marya Morevna is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki and included by Andrew Lang in The Red Fairy Book...
or The Nine Peahens and the Golden Apples
The Nine Peahens and the Golden Apples
The Nine Peahens and the Golden Apples is a Serbian epic poetry. It was published for the first time as a fairy tale by Vuk Stefanović Karadžić in 1853. Later on it was published as a Bulgarian fairy tale by A. H...
. It is generally a gift of the donor
Donor (fairy tale)
In fairy tales, a donor is a character that tests the hero and provides magical assistances to the hero when he succeeds.The fairy godmother is a well-known form of this character...
, as in Făt-Frumos with the Golden Hair
Fat-Frumos with the Golden Hair
Făt-Frumos with the Golden Hair or The Foundling Prince is a Romanian fairy tale collected by Petre Ispirescu in Legende sau basmele românilor.-Synopsis:A hermit lived alone. One day, a box floated down the river to him...
.
When the hero is working for the villain, the usual aid comes from a woman who is the heroine -- The Battle of the Birds
The Battle of the Birds
The Battle of the Birds is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in his Popular Tales of the West Highlands. He recorded it from a fisherman near Inverary, John Mackenzie...
, The White Dove, or The Master Maid
The Master Maid
The Master Maid is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their Norske Folkeeventyr. "Master" indicates "superior, skilled." Jørgen Moe wrote the tale down from the storyteller Anne Godlid in Seljord on a short visit in the autumn of 1842.It is...
-- and therefore does not end as this one does, with an additional adventure to gain a bride, as in The Hairy Man
The Hairy Man
The Hairy Man is a Russian fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Crimson Fairy Book.-Synopsis:Two ricks of a king's rapeseed fields are found burned every night. Finally, a shepherd with dogs keeps watch, and catches the "hairy man" who is responsible. The king puts him in a cage...
.
Compare Prince Ring
Prince Ring
Prince Ring is an Icelandic fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in The Yellow Fairy Book.-Synopsis:A prince and his men hunted a hind with a golden ring on its horns. A darkness came over them, and they lost the hind and their way, and separated because they each thought they knew better the way...
.