Wednesday, Jan 19, 2022 • 35min

254-Spanish Folklore: Ready or Not

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A story from Spanish folklore of three brothers, a crafting competition, a smelly Trojan parrot, and a lesson that it's never too late to start on the Hero's Journey. I mean, you might end up in jail, but it's still inspiring? The creature this week is the Gohonga, a creature that will take your child, educate them, and return them as a forty-year-old -- Links: The earbags: https://myths.link/earbags https://myths.link/earbags Membership: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership Store: https://shop.bardic.fm https://shop.bardic.fm -- Sponsors: Simplisafe: Go to http://simplisafe.com/legends http://simplisafe.com/legends and take 20% off your SimpliSafe System and get your first month free when you sign up for the interactive monitoring service! Indeed: Go to http://indeed.com/legends http://indeed.com/legends and get a a 75 dollar sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post! Offer ends March 31st, 2022. Shopify: Go to http://shopify.com/legends http://shopify.com/legends for a free 14-day trial, and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features! Headspace: Go to http://headspace.com/legends http://headspace.com/legends and get one month FREE of their entire mindfulness library! NordVPN: Go to http://nordvpn.com/myths http://nordvpn.com/myths or use code MYTHS to get up to 70% off your NordVPN Plan plus one additional month for free! -- Music: All music by Blue Dot Sessions https://www.sessions.blue Support the show: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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(1)
Jason Weiser
Transcript
Verified
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Jason Weiser
00:39
This week on myths and legends. It's a tale about three brothers, their merchant dad and a crafting challenge from the local market. That's definitely weird Along the way. We'll see the right way to play hide and seek and the wrong way to talk about your daughter's then on the creature of the week, It's why you don't let your kids get into canoes with strangers because when they come back they will be large, 40-year-olds.
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01:09
This is Myths and Legends. Episode 254: Ready or not.
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01:15
This is a podcast where we tell stories from mythology and folklore. Some are incredibly popular stories, you might think, you know, but with surprising origins, others are stories that might be new to you but are definitely worth a listen.
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01:31
Today's episode comes from Spanish folklore, it's a fairy tale, so time period doesn't really matter all that much. And it's just a fun little story that likes the number three, and starts out with a family with three sons.
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01:42
Don Carlos Alvarez, a successful merchant of Cadiz, had arguably the best view in town. Often, he stood stroking his beard and planning his next shipments while gazing out the main window at the bustling city harbor below. He ran a tight ship by several ships, and there they were.
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02:12
His most recent arrivals, right on time. Once docked, his crew would begin unloading crate after crate of elegant silks. First from far away lands, gold, silver spice, but not that spice and medicines one couldn't find anywhere else. You wouldn't believe the type of cash people would pay for this stuff. But then also, yeah, I kind of believe it because it's medicine that they needed to live.
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02:34
A knock sounded on the door behind him, and Don Carlos turned. It was his firstborn, his oldest son, Luis. "Honest Luis", he often called him, to the side eyes of his two other sons. Don Carlos treasured all three of his children equally, well his adult sons as they were now, and he knew each one though distinct they might be.
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02:54
Luis was as straight as an arrow, everyone said. Rodrigo was a classic middle child, notable for his regimented workout routine if you needed to move furniture, he was your man, except they had teams of servants for that these days and Rodrigo kind of only worked out the glamour muscles. Child three was Fernando and his blessing was good looks and a clever mind, academics and street smarts alike.
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03:19
"Hey dad, how's it going? How's it going?" Luis asked, joining his dad by the window. "Wow, it really was a great view". Don Carlos felt a question hanging in the air. "So here's the thing, Dad" Luis said, there it was. "I was thinking about doing some adventuring". Don Carlos said, "cool, that's, you know, you're a grown man, little late for the hero's journey, but hey not judging. Good for you, son".
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03:52
But Luis continued, "um, adventuring across the sea". Don Carlos smiled, he figured he was just waiting for a son to ask. So he needs a new set of sales. Luis said, "Yeah, that was it, exactly". Somehow Don Carlos always knew, except Luis was now asking for a ship with sails made of silk. "What do you say, Dad? Can the best merchant in town make something like that happen for his honest son".
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04:22
The boy sure did know how to fluff his dad's ego, and Don Carlos was more than happy to secure something nice for his children. In short order the beautiful new ship with silk and sales was ready and bobbing at the docks ready to carry Luis into the big unknown. The family hugged, did a quick hands in and dad's money on three, "Dad's money" and that was that Luis boarded his ship and took off, he disappeared over the horizon.
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04:56
Within a day or two, Luis was already docking at an island. He could no longer see his home harbor, and it made his first adventure all the more thrilling. He might as well be on the other side of the world, but that's how it felt anyway. New sights and sounds tickled his senses and filled him with vigor, tall buildings, streets of people that flowed like rivers, vivid gardens everywhere it was glorious.
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05:19
Luis found a local inn and rested for the night and in the morning he did what any reasonable merchant's son would do and marched straight to the king's castle, they should meet, right? The royal ground seemed oddly bear compared to the thriving crowd shopping nearby.
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05:37
It was then that Luis noticed the sign at the royal gate, stepping closer, he read it aloud. "The king's youngest daughter, the wise and beautiful princess Florinda is hidden in this palace. Whatever man finds her, shall have her for his wife".
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05:53
Well, uh, that was something you didn't see all the time, one hoped. A princess, just prime for the taking or the finding. The more Luis thought about it, the less either of those sounded like an okay thing to say. Oh, he hadn't read the fine print, that is to say. "He who finds princess Florinda shall be allowed to propose to her directly, for it is her life and her decision".
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06:20
Luis smiled. "Okay, that was surprisingly progressive". Oh, but there was even more fine print. JK, lol, get real, this is middle-aged folklore. He who finds the youngest princess gets the princess, no matter what he's like, could be a complete blue bird monster, no givesies-backsies. Luis thought about it, "well, that wasn't ideal".
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06:44
But on the other hand, went on a strange unknown island, do as the strange, unknown Islanders do, that wasn't really the same. And so he marched along the path and entered the grand hall in search of the king. A princess for a wife had such a nice ring to the name Luis, son of Don Carlos Alvarez of Cadiz, even though that wasn't how that phrase worked.
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07:06
The king was up in years, but also appeared kind in his old age, with such a sign posted out on the front gate. He entertained all types and so when he laid eyes on Luis, eager and fresh and clearly honest as he was, a look of sadness washed over the king. "But how can you tell he's a good man?" An adviser whispered in the king's ear.
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07:29
"Ha! The guy was good-looking, duh, good looks and posture meant honesty and a good heart. Remember Middle Ages?" "Right, right, right", the adviser began scribbling on a scroll.
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07:43
Luis and the king discussed the challenge and the rules of the whole thing when as follows. Three days were all that were allowed for anyone bold enough to seek the princess. If after sunset on the third day, Luis had not found Florinda, the young man would immediately be locked up in the darkest steps of the dungeons for all time.
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08:03
"So like from my time or all your time?" he said to the king, "because if it's all your time, that's like what a week, two?" The king sneered, his guards took a coordinated step in towards Luis.
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08:23
Luis chuckled. He was honest, Luis. "You know what? Never mind. I accept the challenge to find your youngest daughter". He had grown up as the rich son of a merchant who never left home, so he knew a thing or two about the world. He could do this in no time.
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08:40
In the morning, Luis began, hopefully the deadliest hide and seek game of all time with only one life in his inventory. He searched high and low, combing down every hallway and every room inside every trunk and closet. By the end of day three, however, he had to face the truth, Luis, could not find the princess.
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09:01
With head bowed low and arms shackled behind him. He admitted defeat before the king, who sat on the throne, shaking his head. The young man had been warned, "I told you countless people have tried this game before you and none of them have found my daughter who I definitely want to actually get married and don't dangle her relationship status before naive young men, so I can play tone down, Saw like games."
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09:26
And with that the king waved a hand and a pair of his guards escorted Luis from the great hall through a long corridor and all the way down to the deepest, darkest corner of the dungeon. The boy's adventure, it seemed, was over.
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09:41
Outside the beautiful ship with all the silken sails bobbed up and down at the docks. Waiting for the captain who would never see the light of day again.
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09:51
We'll see if anyone might come looking for Luis. But that will be read after this.
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Break
Jason Weiser
12:29
"I know what you're saying, dad, but doesn't it seem like he's been gone a long time?" It was now Rodrigo, the merchant Don Carlos's middle son, who joined him at the window. Below, ships came and went and while business still boomed, something didn't feel right. Not without Luis. "I could go and find him, you know, seek my own adventure, whichever one of those sounds good to you". Rodrigo stood with hopeful eyes.
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13:11
He wasn't quite as tactful as Luis, and he just jumped right into it. Maybe he could have a silver boat. Second place silver for a second son? Had a nice ring to it. Don Carlos, wrinkled a brow. Was that how that phrase was used? No matter sure, why not? I mean, a boat made of silver can float, right?
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13:38
The second son, Rodrigo, thought about it. If he knew science, and he didn't then silver like ducks, churches and very small rocks would float. Rodrigo and his dad stood on the docks looking over a ship made of silver. Rodrigo said, "huh, turns out it did flute". Don Carlos said, "yeah, they were able to figure out how to make a boat out of metal like 500 years before that would be a thing, they should write down how to do that".
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14:05
Anyway, Rodrigo boarded his very own adventure ship of silver, determined to find Luis and bring him home. The family hugged on the docks once more, but didn't bother with their hands in, cheer on three this time, the mood was just different without Luis.
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14:21
In no time at all, Rodrigo spied his brother's docked boat with the silken sails up ahead. He pulled ropes, turn the rudder, came about, I looked up some ship terms and soon tied off his silver boat on the opposite side of the dock.
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14:36
Now, about Luis. Three hours of screaming "Luis, Luis, are you around here?" In the street. Rodrigo found himself before the king, making a very similar deal. "You sure you want to do this?" The king said once more. Rodrigo had burst into the great hall in similar fashion as his brother Luis, announcing himself as the son of Don Carlos Alvarez of Cadiz.
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15:02
The rules, explained, Rodrigo shared that he would not be distracted or deterred. He would speak only of the challenge at hand or his workout routine. He was missing a leg day. You see, he started with some squats and then moved, it took the king quite a while to steer the conversation away from workouts and back to princess Florinda. But in the end, Rodrigo bid the court goodnight. His older brother had failed, and now it will be Rodrigo's turn.
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15:29
Maybe he'd figure out what happened to Luis has a bonus and be able to gloat as the great hall doors clang shut, the king's advisor, bent low and asked the king how he knew Rodrigo to be a good-hearted young man. The king had tried hard to convince the second brother not to look for his daughter because he was a good man.
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15:47
The king said, "did you see his muscles? And that jaw line? And his flexing like shredded, a tunic right in front of us?" The king said, in surprise. "How is that not obvious?" "Right", and the advisor returned to his note taking.
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16:04
In the morning, Rodrigo began his three-day search for the king's youngest daughter. He looked in all the same places as Luis and then some new ones too, but without success. The princess could not be found anywhere.
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16:18
"I have failed", Rodrigo admitted to the king with a lowered head. Guards approached, shackled his arms behind his back, and escorted him from the great hall. It was always the same of the king, why didn't anyone listen to him? Then none of these strapping young men would be doomed to the dungeon for all time.
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16:38
"There's an easy solution to that", one of the courtiers approached, "just like, I don't know, take down the sign and betrothed your daughter to someone without the sadistic games".
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16:51
"A challenge like that, to an adventurer seeking his fortune. I mean, the kids can't even help, it's like vinegar to flies. Most people think that honey attracts flies better because they are the same, but it's really vinegar and", the courtier paused, realizing two things, he had kind of lost the thread here, with this whole observation and the rest of his colleagues had preemptively backed away from him.
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17:15
The king looked to his servants with a shake of his head. Guards scurried up, shackled the bold commentator, and escorted him away to the third-darkest area of the dungeon. "Ah, yeah, why didn't anyone listen to him and avoid that terrible fate?" Flared the king, but of course no one had anything to say this time.
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17:36
Weeks turned to months, and no word came from either Luis or Rodrigo. Business boomed, but the vibe at home was unmistakably changed. "Hey, Dad" Fernando said, standing next to his dad by the window.
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17:52
Already, Don Carlos knew the ask, he waited all the same. Fernando, the baby of the family. The youngest son, blessed with great looks and intelligence, asked for a gold ship. "Someone had to go after Luis and Rodrigo", he said, and Don Carlos knew it to be true.
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18:11
He was also a masterful merchant, and probably the only one in the world capable of giving his son a golden ship, so of course he did. It seems to me like a set of golden sales is just kind of asking for a pirate attack. But Don Carlos apparently engineered a metal ship in the Middle Ages, so I'll trust his judgment on this one.
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18:30
In a few weeks time, Fernando stood at the docks and hugged his parents close. Their looks set it all and with a final squeeze, the young man hopped aboard his vessel and floated away toward the horizon. It wasn't long before he spotted two ships, one with sales of silk and the other made of silver. He couldn't believe it.
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18:50
Fernando dropped anchor and headed to the shore. He jogged straight to the palace and noticed the sign on the gate. It was problematic, but also told him exactly where his brothers had gone. Well, he would have to follow suit of course, but not yet.
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19:07
Turning on a heel, Fernando walked back to the busy market and straight to the inn. He booked a room for the night, borrowed a basket and set out to go shopping. He went up and down the market aisles perusing, taking in all the sights and sounds, everything was new and different.
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19:23
"Wow!" There, at the next stall, were several crates of shiny, deep red cherries. He wasn't usually a Cherry guy that pitts, I don't know, it's just annoying, but these were so fresh and fragrant he could not resist. A woman sat in the shade behind the stall, announcing her goods, like the other sellers. "Cherry for your thoughts?" She asked one passer-by with a chuckle and added, quickly, "and money".
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19:50
Fernando scooped up several handfuls into his basket, but when he went to pay the woman behind the stall, wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him close, whispering something hotly into the young man's ear, "the golden ship, the silver ship, the ship with silking sales with these boats, make a parrot statue the size of a man, place it before the palace gates, then climb inside it".
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20:10
"I'm sorry what?" Fernando sputter. "Also, personal space please". He struggled to get away and toppled to the ground. When he stood, the woman had already resumed shouting to the crowd, advertising her cherries as though nothing had happened at all.
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20:28
It was the oddest thing. Fernando stood there eating cherries watching the woman, but she never even looked his way again. He thought about what the cherry seller had said, destroy the boats from his father, make a parrot shaped playhouse. "Yeah. Hi, are you in line?" The guy behind him asked, Fernando turned. "Oh, no, sorry", he was just daydreaming, go ahead.
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20:51
The burly man nodded, "thanks. Oh, and also from your very loud and public musings, I believe it's more of like a Trojan parrot", he said, and then went to go buy his cherries. Well, whatever it was supposed to be, Fernando was going to make it, as in, he was going to pay some guys to make it and move it and then leave. That was his family way.
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21:14
At nightfall, Fernando snuck inside the parrot shaped phoneless booth and waited, watching out the statue's own eyeholes and something that definitely wasn't super creepy. At night, he stood there with two flasks, one with wine, the other with water, which is a nice way to tempt fate in a bathroomless parrot, but whatever it was pretty tight quarters in there, standing room only. And so even Fernando agreed it was kind of best not to think about going to the bathroom.
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21:42
Early the next morning, the king spotted the magnificent silver and gold statue in the courtyard, shining with its enormous wings of silk. In short order, the servants carted the large parrot into the great hall, and there all the staff and attendants were invited to take a break and come have a look at the king's discovery, which I mean could it be called that it was right in front of the castle, whatever.
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22:06
"No touching, single file people, keep it moving", the self-appointed bouncer urged everyone from the cook, two pages to musicians and the royal council shuffle past gawking at the incredible work of art. The king had velvet ropes made for just this purpose. Whoever made this parrot was definitely getting a new patch for their apron this week. All the while, Fernando stood inside the statue, watching and listening.
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22:31
I want that parrot in the corner of my bedroom, the king announced after the exhibit closed and walked away. Servants scurried and hefted, and soon Fernando found himself inside the king's bed chambers.
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22:56
We'll see what Fernando learns in the king's bed chambers, but that will be read after this.
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Break
Jason Weiser
25:28
After what seemed like hours because they were hours. The king finally fell asleep safe at last, Fernando unlatched the door concealed behind a wing and slipped out. He did a tactical rollout of the parrot and then just kinda stretched out on the floor. "wow", okay, that was pretty nice, after nearly 24 hours, contorted upright in a parrot shaped prison.
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26:01
The young man was so relieved to be out of the parrot cage that he laid down behind the parrot and just fell asleep. He had the strangest dreams too. The light was on, and the king sat talking with three young women, interesting.
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26:17
The smell of sweat from inside the parrot stung his nose, and Fernando quickly realized that this was no dream. There were in fact three striking young women lounging on the king's bed having a lively conversation.
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26:32
The story says one was tall and proud, like a lily, another fresh and dainty, like a rose and the third as vivid and lovely as a pomegranate flower. And they were all three looking at the magnificent parrot crafted from gold, silver and silk. And before you get the wrong idea, the women, it turned out, were the king's daughters.
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26:52
And now things were getting very interesting. They begged their father to let them take the parrot down to the courtyard. Please, can they do it now? With a snap of his finger, two guards entered the room and bowed low, but they didn't go to the parrot, instead they grip the end of the king's bed and pulled the whole thing away from the wall.
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27:12
Next they rolled up the rug that was beneath the bed, revealing the giant trap door, wide steps disappeared into the dark tunnel beneath the trapdoor, and the king has three daughters and a guard struggling under the parrot, all descended into the dark.
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27:27
Fernando breathed a sigh of relief, it was a good idea for him to climb back into the parrot when no one was looking, and now he knew the big secret. Who could have guessed that the biggest secret in the king's bedchamber will be what happened beneath the king's bed? Come to think of it, as far as things he could have seen went, this was a win.
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27:49
The guards set the parrot down on a stone patio, but only for a moment to rest. Before long, they were on the move again, this time going across the patio down a second corridor and into a second courtyard even bigger than the first.
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28:02
Florals and fruit trees of all kinds bloomed, illuminated by a thousand burning candles, which, yes, was a huge fire hazard, considering they were arranged so close to all the flammable trees and leaves and all underneath the castle, with the parrot arranged perfectly between two flowering shrubs. The king hugged his daughter's goodnight and left with the guards.
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28:23
Fernando watched as each of the young woman made their way to one of the three alcoves, with a luxurious bed draped with the fabrics of all textures themed either rose blue or gold.
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28:35
Each daughter snuggled into a bed and attendance appeared to snuff out all one thousand candles for the night. Under the cover of darkness, Fernando snuck out of the parrot. He had all the secrets now, but how to escape? And what about finding the youngest daughter?
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28:53
You just have to figure that out tomorrow when he returned to the palace to accept the challenge posted on the gate. Feeling his way along the wall, the young man made his way, but then he felt it, a hand on his shoulder, gripping tighter by the second it pulled him from the underbrush and when he whipped around he found himself face to face with one of the daughters.
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29:16
Well, he assumed she was, but her face was veiled, and he couldn't know for sure without asking, but she clamped a hand over his mouth and signaled for him to remain quiet. Follow me, she whispered and duct between the leaves.
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29:31
He followed her through the garden, dodging trees. An iron sounding door opened and shut before they were walking along an incline up and up, until finally there it was a gate ahead, through which the early morning rays were just beginning to shine. "Thank you", Fernando said, but his guide remains silent.
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29:51
With an iron key, she unlocked the gate and ushered the young man through, Fernando took a few steps then turned. Wait, how had she known he was there in the darkness? Or there at all? It was obvious, of course. First the smell, second she'd seen him lying on the floor of her father's room, he wasn't exactly hiding, and also there was something odd about the parrot when it stared at you, namely like it was one of those haunted house paintings with the eyes that follow you because they were actual eyes following you.
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30:24
"But nobody else saw you, I'm sure", she assured Fernando now go on, but come back tomorrow? Yeah? The gate clicked closed and through the bars, Fernando asked kind of obvious question. How would he know which princess was the youngest? It was kind of really hard to tell. "Pomegranate flower, she's the one with the pomegranate flower". "Got it". And with that the two parted ways, just as the morning finally arrived.
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30:55
At noon, Fernando stood before the king, ready to play. "Three days, and if you're not successful, which you probably won't be sorry, you'll be locked away in the deepest, darkest part of the dungeon for all time", spoke the king, "and I hope you read the fine print", Fernando was eager and the king understood. He just had to say the instructions every time, it was a legal thing.
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31:18
Also, since good looks clearly meant a good heart. This third young man was obviously the best of the bunch, it was a real tragedy losing all these great guys to the dungeon. But wasn't this game set in place by the king and nowhere in the story didn't mention the king having to play the game as in no enchantments, no bribery, no evil figures forcing any of this to happen.
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31:41
The kid looked to the vizier. He didn't look like the scheming Jafar type. Did the king really just like putting young men in dangerous situations for fun? This really was a Saw thing, wasn't it? The king squirmed on the throne, he didn't like where this conversation was headed. "Three days", he boomed, "are you in or out?"
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31:60
And so it was that Fernando chose the dungeon. Well, that's how it seemed to the king, anyway, all this stuff was just sending kids to the dungeon with extra steps in the middle. "Forget about three days", Fernando barely needed three minutes.
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32:14
The king and all of his courtiers followed the young man's heels, mouth agape, as though they were watching a Mario 64 speedrun for the first time. You think that the kid just backflipped up to boo's balcony? It was so impressive. First the bed, then the rug, then the trap door. By the time he descended the marble steps to the first courtyard, a following had gathered, cheering as he unlocked each level.
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32:36
Also, wow, there was like a whole room down here with a thousand candles. Was this up to code? The corridor, the second courtyard, and suddenly there they were, the three princesses glowing in the light of a thousand candles.
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32:50
"I lift them up myself, I lift them up myself", one attendant whose only job it was to light the candles, began singing. But quickly fell silent at the site of the cook's glare and dripping ladle, oh, please, that was so four episodes ago that it's, it's too soon for even a remix.
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33:11
Murmurs fell to silence as Fernando stepped slowly into the spotlight. Would he pick alcove number one with a tall fair as a lily princess? Or perhaps alcove number two with the princess as dainty as a rose.
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33:24
Both women had looked up eagerly from their sewing to strike a royal pose. "I'm going to go with alcove number three", Fernando said, without hesitation. The audience erupted louder than before, applauding and waiting on bated breath. There sat a princess with a pomegranate flower in her hair, but giving no indication of whether or not the boy had chosen correctly.
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33:48
The king throughout the moment, cutting to a commercial break before revealing all. "You are correct!" He shouted, "you won a princess!" Except that didn't sound right, no matter how you said it. "It's like I'm supposed to say, I claim the youngest princess or something?" Fernando laughed awkwardly because yes, in the original, that's exactly what he said.
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34:11
But this time he walked over to alcove three, bent low on one knee and asked the young woman if she was keen to marry him, which was definitely her choice to make in this situation.
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34:31
In the end it was one of the most amazing and impressive destination, weddings ever. Proud papa, don Carlos Alvarez of Cadiz couldn't agree more. He had arrived before the ceremony in his tall ship fit for a king, looking forward to not one but three weddings. Luis and Rodrigo had cleaned up nicely after their dark dungeon captivity and had each handed off with one of the remaining two princesses.
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34:58
It was a perfect fit, and it was going to make Christmas dinners and gift giving that much more convenient because all the in laws were everybody else's in laws too. Secretly, the king was kind of happy to be able to release Luis and Rodrigo as really good-looking guys, it had been such a shame to condemn them to the dungeons, now they will be able to enjoy the sun as all attractive people should.
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35:21
"Oh that as all people should, your majesty" an attendant offered. And yeah, the princesses and their betrothed all decided that as their first act, they were going to release everybody from the dungeons, that was just weird. Why was he doing that? The king said, "oh, awesome".
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35:40
And so it was that the reception festivities began, people danced, sang, ate and drank and as the party spilled into the outer gardens, Fernando gave a special toast to a particular friend standing between a pair of flowering shrubs, "to the silver and gold-plated face and the silken wings of the parrot that made it all possible".
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36:09
Next week, it's a story from Chinese folklore about a mason who wins a prize. Be sure to subscribe to Myths and Legends, so you catch all the episodes when they come out.
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Break
Jason Weiser
36:48
The creature this week is The Gahongas from Iroquois folklore in
North America
. Now, children know this I think, but you don't get into cars with strangers. Also, don't get into canoes with strangers because you might leave them after a few days as a 40 something of "gigantic proportions".
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37:11
The Gahongas are a sub-genre of a group of creatures called the
Jogah
, and they're grandchildren of a thunder god. And unlike most invisible knee-high creatures from folklore, they won't really mess with you. I mean they will take your children to become wise adults in the span of a weekend, which as I'm saying, that sounds bad, but not as horrible as it could be.
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37:34
They are mostly invisible unless you're a child, elder or medicine person, and there are three versions of the Jogah. The Gahongas are stone throwers. If you see a stone that has been moved, that's them. The Gandayah, our drum dancers. We don't know too much about them because they're shy, but people just hear their drums from far off.
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37:54
The Ohdows the third are quote gnome like creatures that keep snakes and underground monsters under control. And as a person who loathes snakes and is pretty wary about how inclusive the term underground monsters is, they would probably be my favorite, but onto the child thing.
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38:11
One story tells of a child who had a Gahonga roll up next to them in a tiny canoe, telling the kid to get in, the kid didn't until he did. Instantly, the canoe took off into the sky, flying up into a mountain cave. The kid, not being able to leave, went to like hidden knowledge boot camp where he learned quote strange and wonderful things. Then, when it was over, he blinked, and he was backed by the riverside.
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38:42
Why did his back hurt? All of a sudden. It was because the kid was now a 40-year-old man of quote gigantic proportions. The townspeople were shocked, not least of all mom and dad, who are now younger than their son. Still, things worked out, and he became a renowned lawgiver for his people.
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39:02
So yeah, I guess getting into a canoe with rock throwing strangers can work out, that like one time in the history of getting into canoes with rock throwing strangers. Seriously, don't do this because I'm not sure that this isn't just a hopeful metaphor for child abduction.
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39:24
That's it for this week, Myths and Legends is by Jason and Carissa Weiser. Our theme songs by the band Broke For Free and the creature of the week music is by Steve Combs. There are links to even more music in the show notes. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll see you next time.
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