THE KING AND THE STORYTELLERS
There once lived a selfish King who was a most unpleasant man unless he
heard a good story three times a day. And when he was grouchy nearly
everyone in the palace trembled with fright, even the chickens and the pigs
in the royal court yards scampered about anxiously, and the birds ceased
singing and fled to their nests. Nobody in the KINGDOM OF MAGOLLA dared to
make a request of the King while he was in one of his grumpy moods.
Now this King who was known to his subjects as KING THUNDOR had been
blessed with many fine storytellers, but they no longer had any stories to
tell him, and throughout the land he could find no one of royal ancestry who could
charm him with fascinating stories.
Then one day the Princess, who was most unhappy with her father's
grumblings, rushed excitedly into the throne room. "Father," she cried
breathlessly, "I heard the most wonderful stories at the Strawberry Fountain down in the town square today, and some of these storytellers are even better than the
storytellers we have had in the palace."
"Nonsense daughter," thundered the King. "No commoner is capable of
telling a story good enough for a King's ear."
"How would you know," retorted the Queen. "The only time you see the
common people is when you speed pass them in your flashy gold carriage."
"Commoners lack the imagination to be good storytellers," argued King
Thundor, "that is why they are commoners."
"Won't you please listen to them just once?" pleaded the Princess.
"Yes" sighed the Queen, "give us all a chance for some peace."
"Oh, drat it, woman," fumed the King. "Get these storytellers up here.
But I warn you, they had better be good, or the Princess and you will be
serving them their meals in the dungeon."
So that very night the first of the town's favorite storytellers stood
before King Thundor and told him a story about a poor but brave young man
who rescued a wealthy merchant's daughter from being swept over a mighty
waterfall. Now this lad refused to accept a handsome reward of gold from the
merchant, but instead he won the heart of the merchant's daughter. And they
had a very happy married life.
Now everyone in the Palace, including the King, praised the storyteller,
and many were certain that he would become the official storyteller of the
King. But the King had other thoughts. "This commoner indeed has a gift for
narration," agreed King Thundor, "but he not only wants to be my storyteller;
he wants to marry my daughter, and no commoner will ever marry the Princess."
So the King sent the first storyteller away and ordered the next storyteller
to appear before him right after breakfast the following morning.
Now the second storyteller was very nervous because he had heard what had
happened to the first storyteller. But he reminded himself that King Thundor
wanted the best storyteller he could find, and he told himself that he was
the best storyteller in the Kingdom. So he fascinated the King with a story
about a humble young sailor who saved a fleet of ships from being destroyed
by a raging fire while at sea. The young sailor refused to accept a reward
of silver, and this so impressed the owner of the ships that he made the
heroic sailor the Commander of his entire fleet of ships.
King Thundor had listened so rapturously to this story that everyone in
the Palace thought that the King would surely choose this storyteller as his
official narrator of tales. But once again the King was thinking differently
than his palace subjects. "This commoner does keep you entranced with his
tales," agreed the King. "But he does not only want to be my official
storyteller; he wants to become the governor of all my wealth and lands. And
no commoner is going to rule over my lands and wealth for me." So he
likewise sent the second storyteller weeping from the Palace and commanded
the third storyteller to appear before him right after lunch.
Now this King liked to listen to a good story before he took his noonday
nap. So immediately after he finished his last spoonful of soup, the third
storyteller stood before him. This spinner of yarns enthralled King Thundor
with a tale about a wealthy jeweler who was sad because he no longer had a
son to whom he could leave his great fortune of diamonds. A band of daring
and cruel pirates had captured his infant son and refused to return him to
the jeweler unless the jeweler sent them all of the diamonds in his
possession. But before the jeweler could prepare his diamonds for delivery
to the pirates, the son of the captain of the pirates, who loved the son of
the jeweler, carried him away by night from the pirates. However, before he
could return him safely to his father the baby son was drowned. Nonetheless,
the jeweler was so grateful to the pirate captain's boy for his noble attempt
to restore his infant baby to him that he persuaded him to become his own son
and bequeathed to him his entire estate of diamonds.
Barely had the third storyteller finished his tale before the courtiers
were telling each other that the King had finally found the greatest
storyteller of them all, and that this relator of tales would three times
daily stand before the King and the entire Court with his fanciful yarns.
But much to their amazement, the King was very angry and everyone cowered
and trembled before his wrath. "This third storyteller no more only wants to
be my official storyteller than does the other two", roared the King. "He
wants to become my son and inherit the throne. No commoner is going to
inherit my throne, even if I do not have a son to receive the Crown from me."
So, furiously, the King sent the third storyteller pale and shaken from the
Court. And he decreed that this would end the nonsense of looking for an
official storyteller from among the common people.
Everyone in the palace was sorrowful. The Princess was very sad. "Won't
you listen to just one more storyteller, Father," she entreated him. "You
have agreed that they are good storytellers, and one day you will hear one
of whom you will believe only wants to be your storyteller."
"Yes, they were very good storytellers," admitted King Thundor, "and for
that reason, and that reason alone, I will hear one more. But I warn you
that should he be seeking to become something in addition to my storyteller,
he will spend the rest of his days in my dungeon." Of course, the King
really heard another storyteller because he was most unhappy being without
a storyteller.
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THE STORYTELLER - MARVELLO
So that evening following dinner a handsome young man, named MARVELLO,
who could sing and play his harp as he told stories, charmed the King as he
told him of a LAND AGAINST THE SKY where a Golden Helmet rested upon the
biggest rock on the highest mountain in the land. Now anyone who could climb
to the top of this rock and claim the Golden Helmet would become the owner
and ruler of all the lands and wealth of the world, providing he was the
strongest, the bravest and the noblest man in the country from whence he had
came. But no one had ever succeeded in traveling through the valleys and
over the mountains that led to the one great mountain of the Golden Helmet.
And everyone in the LAND AGAINST THE SKY believed that the one who succeeded
in reaching the Golden Helmet would be the strongest, bravest and noblest
man in the country from whence he came. And after countless years the Golden
Helmet sits lonely waiting to be claimed, while all who have tried to reach
it reside in the LAND OF THE DESERT from whence no one returns. And thus
ended the story of the fourth storyteller.
"Excellent, excellent," shouted the King, clapping his hands in delight.
"This is the kind of a story I like to hear. You will indeed be my official
storyteller from this day forward." And while the court residents merrily
sang and danced, the King had his young minstrel clothed in gay and colorful
robes designed for the official storyteller and sat him down to a scrumptious
meal with the Queen seated on his left and the Princess on his right, and
everyone in the Kingdom of Magolla breathed easier and happier because King
Thundor was once more in a jolly mood.
But sadly the gay and happy feelings of King Thundor and the wonderful
stories were not to last for long. Because on the sixth day, the young
storyteller, Marvello, stood before the King and told him that he wanted to
spend one day each week telling stories to the common folks whom he loved
very much. But the selfish King would not grant his wish. "You are my
storyteller, and I want you to be with me every day," he instructed the
charming minstrel.
"But I am one of the common people," he reminded King Thundor. "If it
wasn't for them I wouldn't be here with you. Your Majesty must know that
about the only happiness these common people experience is listening to my
stories. You will have me six of seven days each week."
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THE STORYTELLER IN THE DUNGEON WITH THE PRINCESS
But the heartless King would not agree to sharing his storyteller with
the common folks for even one minute. Then sorrowfully but stoutly the young
storyteller advised the King that if he could not tell stories to the common
people he would not tell stories to anyone, including the King. This enraged
the King so greatly that he ordered the storyteller thrown into the dungeon,
ignoring the weeping of the Princess who had come to love the young
minstrel.
So darkness and sadness once more settled upon the palace of the Kingdom
of Magolla. But while sitting on his throne at night, King Thundor would
dream of the Golden Helmet on the huge rock at the top of the highest
mountain in far distant LAND AGAINST THE SKY. "I will travel and reach the
Golden Helmet," he boasted, "and it will be mine. Then I will be the ruler
of all the lands and wealth of the world for I am the strongest, the bravest
and noblest man in my country."
So one sunny morning the King in his golden carriage flanked by his
palace soldiers in their lightning fast chariots sped off to the Land
Against the Sky. And upon his arrival the people in the Land Against the
Sky gasped in awe and admiration at the golden carriage and the speeding
chariots. Nonetheless, they shook their heads and murmured that King Thundor
would likely suffer the fate of all who previously attempted to reach the
Golden Helmet. For first, the King must pass through the VALLEY OF THE RED
DRAGONS. If he succeeded in escaping from them, he must successfully travel
over the EARTHQUAKE MOUNTAINS and through the VALLEY OF THE LEAPING
VOLCANOES. Should these feats be successfully accomplished, he must climb
the steepest of all mountains to the rock on which rests the Golden
Helmet.
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THE KING OVER THE VALLEY OF THE RED DRAGONS
Well King Thundor wasted no time in commanding his soldiers to accompany
him into the VALLEY OF THE RED DRAGONS. And barely had they entered the
winding roads of the valley when the dragons began to leap from behind rocks
and dropped down from trees, while spraying red fire from their mouths at
the King and his horses and men. The frightened horses reared in panic and
the soldiers clung to their chariots in terror barely escaping the flames
from the dragons' mouths. But the King standing in his chariot shouted to
the soldiers to shoot water from their brass cannons into the fiery mouths
of the dragons. And once they managed to do this, the flames of the dragons
were quenched and these destructive creatures gasped for breath while the
King thrust his shining silver sword into their sides. And as King Thundor
emerged from the Valley of the Red Dragons, the people of the Land Against
the Sky marveled that he was truly a brave man. "And when I reach the Golden
Helmet you will bow down before me," the King told them.
But now the King had to cross over the Earthquake Mountain of the Land
Against the Sky, and no one traveling over Earthquake Mountain could tell
when the land would disappear beneath him. And the King and his soldiers
knew that they could be swallowed alive by the huge holes in the mountain
caused by the earthquakes which occurred every minute of the day.
Nonetheless, the King urged the quaking soldiers on, and called to his
beasts to leap over the suddenly appearing holes in the grounds ahead of
them. And exhausted but triumphant, the King and his soldiers finally
reached the valley below the Earthquake Mountain. And again the people
cheered him as a very brave man. And once again King Thundor reminded them,
"when I reach the Golden Helmet you will all bow down before me."
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THE KING OVER THE VALLEY OF THE LEAPING VOLCANOES
But brave or not, the King had to go through one more dreaded valley,
The Valley of the Leaping Volcanoes. His soldiers trembled at the sight of
the fiery infernoes, and the King paled as he watched the burning lava rise
in the high mountain-like waves toward the sky. "Yes, we could be roasted
alive in that boiling lava," he agreed with his soldiers, "But this will
not happen to us; we will go up to the last mountain."
So after much frightful hesitation King Thundor in his golden carriage
and his soldiers in their fleet of chariots made their first leap over the
first of the flaming volcanoes. And after succeeding in escaping these fires,
they continued to leap and leap but at times the angry waves of lava came
so close to the King that he felt the heat from them at the seat of his
royal pants. This caused the King to leap and dance from side to side of
his carriage roaring for his soldiers to shoot gallons of water into his
imperial britches. The leaping volcanoes seemed to go after the King rather
than his soldiers. Once again the people roared their praises as King
Thundor safely and proudly rode out of the Dreaded Valley of the Leaping
Volcanoes. And they all told one another that he was the bravest man they
had ever known. The King agreed with them and their ears heard his familiar
words, "When I reach the Golden Helmet you will bow down before me."
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THE KING APPROACHING THE GOLDEN HELMET
Finally, King Thundor had to climb the Great Mountain on which sat the
rock which provided foundation for the Golden Helmet. The King had scaled
mighty mountains before, but this one was so high and steep that his
soldiers fell exhausted before they were halfway up its tremendous heights.
But the King gasping for breath and flinging his powerful hands and legs
against the mountainside finally reached the rock at the top of the mountain.
And the cheering people in the valley below hailed him as the strongest man
they had ever known, as well as the first mortal to reach the rock of the
Golden Helmet.
While King Thundor sat on the rock panting for breath and fascinated by
the Golden Helmet which he eagerly planned to place in his possession, he
noticed a gold and blue cloud drifting toward him. As the cloud hovered
above the rock, the King observed within the cloud a very tall lady in a
lovely white gown seated in the midst of a ring of pretty maidens, playing
beautiful music on violins. King Thundor was spellbound by them, and he
wondered whether they had come to hail and serenade him as the conqueror
of the Great Mountain. But before he could voice this question the music
ceased and the lady stood and called the King by name. "King Thundor, I am
the guardian of the GOLDEN HELMET," she informed him. "No one may take it
without my permission. Do you understand what I am telling you?"
"Yes, lovely lady," replied the King, "but as you can see, I, THUNDOR OF
MAGOLLA, have succeeded in reaching the GOLDEN HELMET which rightfully
belongs to me."
"Yes, you have reached the Golden Helmet after a long and weary journey,"
agreed the lady of the gold and blue cloud, "but have you forgotten what is
required of one who receives the Golden Helmet
"Am I not the bravest, the strongest, and the noblest man in the country
from whence I came?" boasted King Thundor.
"The bravest and the strongest, you may be she replied, "but the noblest
man in your Kingdom lies in your dungeon. And now hear your fate as one who
is not worthy to receive the Golden Helmet. You cannot return to your
Kingdom, but you have a choice. You may free your storyteller, Marvello,
from your cruel dungeon and become the King of the Land of the Desert from
whence no one returns, or you may keep Marvello in your dungeon and become
King of the North Wind."
The red-face King shook with anger. "I will never release Marvello, the
storyteller," he vowed. "I will become King of the North Wind."
"Very well," replied the guardian of the Golden Helmet, "but I warn you
that as King of the North Wind you will ride the back of the North Wind
which can be a most unpleasant experience. On the other hand, as King of the
Land of the Desert from whence no one returns you will always have good
storytellers to entertain you - storytellers who failed to reach the Golden
Helmet."
But the wicked King Thundor insisted on becoming King of the North Wind,
and as the beautiful guardian of the Golden Helmet and her charming maiden
musicians drifted away on the gold and blue cloud, the King saw the North
Wind approaching him from the East, and soon he was riding upon its back.
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THE KING RIDING THE BACK OF THE NORTH WIND
Now at first King Thundor enjoyed his ride immensely upon the back of the North Wind.
At his command the North Wind swept him over all of the huge mountains, plains,
oceans and cities of the world, and he witnessed such beauty and grandeur as he had never known.
As he sailed triumphantly in the sky, he demanded the North Wind to cause all the
trees in all the woods of the forests of the World to bow before him. When
he beckoned, the North Wind caused all the buildings in the cities of the
world to tremble as the stormy gales of the North Wind lashed against them.
At his bequest, the people of the earth fell in fright upon the ground as
the powerful forces of the North Wind descended upon them. On his orders,
the North Wind caused mighty waves to throw ships high into the air above
the sea and the animals of the jungle fled in terror at the approach of its
mighty blasts.
So delighted and thrilled was King Thundor with his newly acquired power
that he was beginning to look upon himself as THE KING OF THE ENTIRE WORLD
and, therefore, he thought he did not need the GOLDEN HELMET to realize his
dream.
But this blissful feeling was not to last for long, because the warm and
balmy North Wind suddenly became very cold, and the King shivered and moaned
in his royal robes. Huge icicles hung from his nose and his sneezing and
coughing were heard from one end of the sky to the other. The Princess
running into the Palace from the courtyard told the Queen that she thought
she heard her father screaming in the clouds. People everywhere wondered
with great alarm as to whether the sky was falling.
Then as the North Wind approached the Sun, King Thundor became warm again.
But the Sun's mischievous breezes swept through his body, tickling his chin,
armpits and ribs, and; the King roared so with laughter that the people in
the Land Against the Sky heard him, and they too started laughing. And
everyone was having a merry time except the King, who didn't think that all
of this laughing was funny. In fact, he laughed so hard that he started to
cry, and then he begged for the Guardian of the Golden Helmet to take him
from the back of the NORTH WIND and make him King of the Land of the
Desert from whence no one returns.
Greatly to his surprise and relief, the Guardian of the Golden Helmet
took pity upon him, and after he had given the order to release his
storyteller from the dungeon she flew him to his Throne in the Palace in the
Land of the Desert from whence no one returns.
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THE STORYTELLER AND THER PRINCESS UNITED IN MARRIAGE
In the meantime, the young storyteller, Marvello, was tearfully reunited
with the Princess, and he became her husband and the RULER OF ALL THE LANDS
and the wealth in the Kingdom. Then, finally, to the joy and delight of all the people in the
Kingdom of Magolla, he was crowned their KING. And while he reigned as King,
storytellers came from throughout the world to his Palace where they were
welcomed. And from throughout the Kingdom people gathered to hear tales
spunned by tellers sent to them by their wise and loving King, who lived
very happily with his Princess wife ...now the QUEEN.
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THE KING ON HIS THRONE IN THE DESERT LAND
As for the selfish King Thundor, he doesn't listen to his storytellers.
Instead at night he sits upon his throne in the LAND OF THE DESERT from
whence no one returns and wonders about the young minstrel, Marvello, who
wanted only to be his storyteller, but is now married to his daughter, rules
all the wealth and lands of the Kingdom and has inherited his throne.
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*Eryca Johns, the illustrator, was as associate of the
Reverend John R. Green when he worked at the Toledo Mental Health Center.
This page last updated on 6-20-2023.