A Czechoslovak fairy tale
We read last week that a king who had gotten lost while hunting, found himself at a charcoal burner’s house where he was forced to stay the night as the man’s wife was about to give birth and he could not leave her to show the king the way out of the forest. A son was born to the charcoal burner and his wife then died. The king, who was asleep in the loft awakened in time to see the Three Fates speak of the child’s path in life. When he heard that the boy was destined to marry his unborn daughter, he plotted to end his life. The next morning as he left the charcoal burner, who was mourning for his wife, he promised to send for the child and give him a good life. When he got back to the palace he learned that his wife had given birth to a daughter that same night, He sent a servant to collect the charcoal burner’s baby and kill it. The servant took the baby in its basket and dropped it in the river. But the basket floated instead of sinking and a fisherman, whose wife had long wanted a baby, found him. They named him Plavachek, which means a little boy who has come floating on the water and brought him up as their own. Twenty years later, the king happened on the fisherman’s cottage and asked for a drink of water. When Plavachek fetched it, he enquired about him and realised he was the charcoal burner’s son. He then quickly wrote a letter instructing that Plavachek be killed and asked Plavachek to take the sealed letter to the palace. The story continues… seal, the paper—all were his own. He called his son-in-law and questioned him. Plavachek related how he had lost his way in the forest and spent the night with his godmother. “What does your godmother look like?” the king asked. Plavachek described her. From the description the king recognized her as the same old woman who had promised the princess to the charcoal-burner’s son twenty years before. He looked at Plavachek thoughtfully and at last said: “What’s done can’t be undone. However, young man, you can’t expect to be my son-in-law for nothing. If you want my daughter you must bring me for dowry, three of the golden hairs of old Grandfather Knowitall.”
He thought to himself that this would be an impossible task and so would be a good way to get rid of an undesirable son-in-law.
Plavachek took leave of his bride and started off. He didn’t know which way to go. Who would know? Everybody talked about old Grandfather Knowitall, but nobody seemed to know where to find him. Yet Plavachek had a Fate for a godmother, so it wasn’t likely that he would miss the right road.
He travelled long and far, going over wooded hills and desert plains and crossing deep rivers. He came at last to a black sea. There he saw a boat and an old ferryman. “God bless you, old ferryman!” he said. “May God grant that prayer, young traveller! Where are you going?” “I’m going to old Grandfather Knowitall to get three of his golden hairs.”
“Oho! I have long been hunting for just such a messenger as you! For twenty years I have been ferrying people across this black sea and nobody has come to relieve me. If you promise to ask Grandfather Knowitall when my work will end, I’ll ferry you over.”
Plavachek promised and the boatman took him across.
To be continued…