The Feathered Ogre

A king fell ill and was told by his doctors, "Majesty, if you want to get well, you'll have to obtain one of the ogre's feathers. That will not be easy, since the ogre eats every human he sees."

The king passed the word on to everybody, but no one was willing to go to the ogre. Then he asked one of his most loyal and courageous attendants, who said, "I will go."

The man was shown the road and told, "On a mountaintop are seven caves, in one of which lives the ogre."

The man set out and walked until dark, when he stopped at an inn. When the innkeeper learned of his mission, he said, "How about bringing me a feather too on your way back, since they are so beneficial."

"I'll be glad to," replied the king's man.

"And should you talk to the ogre, try and find out something about my daughter. She disappeared years ago and is now goodness knows where."

In the morning the man continued on his way. He came to a river and called the ferryman to row him to the other side. During the crossing, they got into conversation.

"Will you bring me a feather too?" asked the ferryman. "I know they bring luck."

"Yes, of course I'll bring you one."

"And if you have the chance, ask the ogre how come I've been at this job for so many years and can't get off the ferry."

"I'll certainly ask him."

The king's man disembarked and continued his journey on foot. At a fountain he sat down to eat a bite of lunch. Two well-dressed noblemen came by and also sat down, and the three of them got to talking.

"Why don't you bring us a feather too," they said.

"I certainly will."

"Also, would you ask the ogre something? In our garden is a fountain that once spewed gold and silver, but it has since dried up."

"I'll ask him why, without fail."

He moved on and walked until dark, when he knocked at a monastery. Friars answered the door, and he requested shelter.

"Come in, come in."

After hearing his story, the friars inquired, "But do you know what you are getting into?"

"I was told there are seven caves. At the back of one of them is a door I'm to knock on and be greeted by the ogre."

"My poor man," said the prior, "if you are unmindful of all the danger, you'll certainly lose your life. This is no laughing matter. I'll tell you about the ogre, in hopes you'll do us a favor."

"Of course I will."

"Listen to me, then. When you get to the mountaintop, you'll see seven caves. The seventh is the ogre's. Go down into that one, all the way to the end, where it will be pitch-dark. We'll give you a candle and matches to light your way. But be sure to go in right at noon, when the ogre is out. You'll find his wife there, a bright girl who will tell you exactly what to do. Beware of the ogre, who would eat you up in a minute."

"How good of you to tell me all these things I didn't know."

"Now here's what you are to find out for us. We lived here in peace for no telling how many years. But for the last ten, we've done nothing but wrangle. Some want one thing, others another, there is bickering, and things are always in turmoil. What is the meaning of it?"

The next morning the man scaled the mountain. He was at the top by eleven o'clock and sat down to rest. At the stroke of noon he slipped into the seventh cave. It was pitch-dark, but he lit the candle and discovered a door. The minute he knocked, a beautiful girl opened and asked, "Who are you? What brings you here? You don't know my husband! He eats every human being he sees!"

"I came for some feathers. Since I'm already here, I'll stay and try my luck. If I get eaten, that's that."

"Listen, I've been here for years and years and can't stand it any longer. Be very careful, and we'll both flee. He must under no circumstances see you, or he'll eat you. I'll hide you under the bed and when he retires for the night, I'll pull out the feathers. How many do you want?"

"Four." And he told her about king, innkeeper, ferryman, noblemen, friars, and the queries of each.

They talked as they ate their dinner. As it had grown late in the meantime, the young lady began getting the ogre's meal ready. "When he's hungry, he smells humans right away. After eating he no longer notices, luckily for you!"

At six o'clock a great clatter was heard at the door, and the man disappeared under the bed in a flash. In stormed the ogre sniffing and saying:

"Here, here,

There're stinking humans here.

There were, there are, they're hiding; My nose informs me they are near! "

"Nonsense!" replied his wife. "Your hunger is making you imagine things. Sit down and eat."

The ogre ate, but he could still smell a man and went all through the house after dinner looking for him. It was at last bedtime, so they undressed, got under the covers, and the ogre went to sleep at once.

The man under the bed held his breath. "Listen closely," whispered the woman. "I'm going to pretend to be dreaming and pull out one of his feathers." She plucked a feather and slipped it under the bed to him.

"Ouch! What do you mean by plucking me?" yelled the ogre.

"Oh, dear, I was dreaming ..."

"What were you dreaming?"

"I was dreaming about the monastery down below us. For the last ten years the friars have been so much at odds with one another that it's pure torture to be under one roof together."

"That's no dream but a fact," answered the ogre. "The friars are ill-tempered because ten years ago the Devil got into their monastery dressed as a priest."

"How could they get rid of him?"

"The real friars would have to start doing good deeds. Then they'd spot the Devil in their midst." At that, the ogre went back to sleep.

A quarter of an hour later, his wife pulled out another feather and passed it to the man under the bed.

"Ouch! That hurt!"

"I was dreaming."

"Again? What were you dreaming this time?"

"You know the fountain down below us in the garden of those two noblemen, which used to spew gold and silver? I dreamt it had gone dry. What on earth could that mean?"

"All of your dreams are true tonight. The fountain is stopped up and can't spew any more gold and silver. They would have to dig gently down to the mouth of the fountain, where they'd find a ball entwined with a sleeping snake. They would have to crush the snake's head beneath the ball before the snake awakened, and the fountain would spew gold and silver anew."

Again in a quarter of an hour she plucked another feather. "Ouch! I believe you've made up your mind to pluck me clean tonight."

"I'm sorry, I was dreaming."

"What now?"

"A ferryman down there on the river hasn't been able to leave his ferry for years."

"True. He doesn't realize that he should ferry a man across the river, collect his fare, and disembark before his passenger can. The traveler will then have to remain on the ferry."

The wife pulled out the fourth feather. "Confound it! What are you about?"

"I'm sorry. I keep on dreaming. I was dreaming of an innkeeper still looking for his daughter, years after her disappearance."

"You mean your father, because you are that innkeeper's daughter."

In the morning at six o'clock, the ogre rose, bid his wife goodbye, and went off. The man came out from under the bed with the four feathers wrapped in a package, took the young lady by the arm, and together they fled.

They stopped at the monastery to tell the friars, "The ogre said that one of you is the Devil. You must start doing all the good you can, and he will flee."

The friars all did one good deed after another until the Devil finally fled.

The couple next stopped by the garden to give the two noblemen a feather and explain to them about the snake. And it wasn't long before the fountain was again spewing gold and silver.

They came to the ferryman. "Here's your feather! "

"Thank you. And what did the ogre say concerning me?"

"I'll have to wait until I'm on the other bank to tell you."

Once the couple was safely on the opposite shore, they told the ferryman what to do.

Upon arriving at the inn, the king's man cried, "Innkeeper, here I am with your feather and your daughter!" Right away the innkeeper wanted to give his daughter to the man in marriage.

"Let me first take the king his feather and ask his permission."

He carried the feather to the king, who got well and rewarded him. The man said, "Now if Your Majesty permits, I'll be off to my wedding." The king doubled the reward, and the man took leave of him and returned to the inn.

What about the ogre? Discovering his wife gone, he set out in pursuit, fully intending to devour her and whoever was involved in her escape. He came to the river and jumped on the ferry. "Pay your fare," said the ferryman. The ogre paid, never dreaming the ferryman knew the secret. Before landing on the opposite shore, off jumped the ferryman, and the ogre could no longer leave the boat.