DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14697#0153
The Kyklops in Folk-Tales 991
die in the attempt. So he took the long road, and walked on till he was tired.
He sat down under a tree and fell asleep. When he woke, he saw an old woman
sifting flour into a great baking-pan. But the flour dropped on to the ground, not
into the pan ; for the old woman was blind. The prince sifted the flour for her,
put it into her sack, and offered to help her carry it. Pleased with his kindness,
she asked what she could do for him in return. He begged her blessing and
told her of his quest. ' Listen, my son,' said the old woman : 'thou hast under-
taken a hard task, but thy parents' blessing and mine will give thee courage. Go
straight along this road to a place where there is much grass, for no man has
ever trodden it. Beyond the rising ground to which it leads thou wilt see
mountains and ravines ; and thence thou wilt descry afar off a great cavern.
Draw near ; and, if thou hear sounds of snoring, thou wilt know that the Drakos
is asleep within. Then remain at a distance till the door of the cavern opens ;
for he has his flocks inside, and puts in front a great rock, which no man can
move. Wait till the Drakos drives out his flock, and then find means to hide
thyself in the cavern. When he comes back to sleep and folds his flocks and
closes the cavern again, then listen and from the snoring thou wilt know that he
is no longer awake. Come down from thy hiding-place and step up to him.
Tied to his beard is a golden key. Take these scissors that I give thee, and with
them cut the beard and the key together. Then, when he opens the cavern, do
thou too go out. Having escaped, take once more the grass-grown road.
There thou wilt see a great palace. Lean the key against the door of the palace,
and it will open to thee. Upstairs in a great chamber there will be a horse and
a dog : "before the horse are bones to eat ; before the dog is straw. Change
them without a word, giving the bones to the dog ; and the rest thou wilt learn
later from the horse.' The prince thanked the old woman, gave her some
sequins, and set off. He found the cavern, but heard no snoring. He peeped
in, and no one was there. But, seeing within a great caldron full of milk and
a bannock as big as a mill-stone, he cut a piece of the bannock, dipped it in the
milk, and ate till his hunger was satisfied. Afterwards he espied a hollow high
up in the rock, climbed up, and got in. A little later he heard sheep-bells, and
concluded that the Drakos was returning with his flocks. So he drew back in
his hiding-place, and prayed God to help him. The Drakos entered, pulled-to
the rock that closed the cavern, and sat down to eat; but found that neither the
milk nor the bannock satisfied him as usual. Now the old woman had given the
prince a powder to throw into the reiki1 jar, so that the Drakos might sleep
heavily. When, therefore, the Drakos had finished his meal and stirred the fire,
he was soon snoring. The prince came softly down, cut the hairs, took the key,
and climbed up again into his hiding-place. But, realising that the Drakos,
when he found his key gone, would look for it, he got down and took a long pole,
sharpened it, put it in the fire and, as soon as it was red-hot, stuck it into the
eye of the Drakos. He, being blinded, began to roar. The other Drakoi came
running to see what was the matter with their chief. But they could not remove
the rock ; and, when they heard his cries, they concluded that he was drunk
and went home. Then the Drakos pushed away the stone, sat at the mouth of
the cave, and began to fondle and let out his sheep one by one. There was one
big, woolly, ram ; and the prince placed himself on his stomach under the wool,
and, while the Drakos was fondling it, managed to get out of the cave. Following
the old woman's advice, he found the palace, unlocked its door with his key,
and saw upstairs a splendid horse fastened with chains and a fine big dog. He
1 A spirit made from grapes (pat, po-yi^w) and flavoured with aniseed.
die in the attempt. So he took the long road, and walked on till he was tired.
He sat down under a tree and fell asleep. When he woke, he saw an old woman
sifting flour into a great baking-pan. But the flour dropped on to the ground, not
into the pan ; for the old woman was blind. The prince sifted the flour for her,
put it into her sack, and offered to help her carry it. Pleased with his kindness,
she asked what she could do for him in return. He begged her blessing and
told her of his quest. ' Listen, my son,' said the old woman : 'thou hast under-
taken a hard task, but thy parents' blessing and mine will give thee courage. Go
straight along this road to a place where there is much grass, for no man has
ever trodden it. Beyond the rising ground to which it leads thou wilt see
mountains and ravines ; and thence thou wilt descry afar off a great cavern.
Draw near ; and, if thou hear sounds of snoring, thou wilt know that the Drakos
is asleep within. Then remain at a distance till the door of the cavern opens ;
for he has his flocks inside, and puts in front a great rock, which no man can
move. Wait till the Drakos drives out his flock, and then find means to hide
thyself in the cavern. When he comes back to sleep and folds his flocks and
closes the cavern again, then listen and from the snoring thou wilt know that he
is no longer awake. Come down from thy hiding-place and step up to him.
Tied to his beard is a golden key. Take these scissors that I give thee, and with
them cut the beard and the key together. Then, when he opens the cavern, do
thou too go out. Having escaped, take once more the grass-grown road.
There thou wilt see a great palace. Lean the key against the door of the palace,
and it will open to thee. Upstairs in a great chamber there will be a horse and
a dog : "before the horse are bones to eat ; before the dog is straw. Change
them without a word, giving the bones to the dog ; and the rest thou wilt learn
later from the horse.' The prince thanked the old woman, gave her some
sequins, and set off. He found the cavern, but heard no snoring. He peeped
in, and no one was there. But, seeing within a great caldron full of milk and
a bannock as big as a mill-stone, he cut a piece of the bannock, dipped it in the
milk, and ate till his hunger was satisfied. Afterwards he espied a hollow high
up in the rock, climbed up, and got in. A little later he heard sheep-bells, and
concluded that the Drakos was returning with his flocks. So he drew back in
his hiding-place, and prayed God to help him. The Drakos entered, pulled-to
the rock that closed the cavern, and sat down to eat; but found that neither the
milk nor the bannock satisfied him as usual. Now the old woman had given the
prince a powder to throw into the reiki1 jar, so that the Drakos might sleep
heavily. When, therefore, the Drakos had finished his meal and stirred the fire,
he was soon snoring. The prince came softly down, cut the hairs, took the key,
and climbed up again into his hiding-place. But, realising that the Drakos,
when he found his key gone, would look for it, he got down and took a long pole,
sharpened it, put it in the fire and, as soon as it was red-hot, stuck it into the
eye of the Drakos. He, being blinded, began to roar. The other Drakoi came
running to see what was the matter with their chief. But they could not remove
the rock ; and, when they heard his cries, they concluded that he was drunk
and went home. Then the Drakos pushed away the stone, sat at the mouth of
the cave, and began to fondle and let out his sheep one by one. There was one
big, woolly, ram ; and the prince placed himself on his stomach under the wool,
and, while the Drakos was fondling it, managed to get out of the cave. Following
the old woman's advice, he found the palace, unlocked its door with his key,
and saw upstairs a splendid horse fastened with chains and a fine big dog. He
1 A spirit made from grapes (pat, po-yi^w) and flavoured with aniseed.