Bedtime Story: The Seven Foals

Found in "The Red Fairy Book" published in 1890, Andrew Lang tells the story entitled 'The Seven Foals.' This story follows three brothers as they attempt to follow a simple task from a nearby king. The king asks each brother respectively to tend to his seven foals in order to find out what they eat and drink in a day. Are the brothers able to do so and thus gain the hand of the princess and half of the kingdom? Or are they distracted by the obstacles along the way?

Transcript

Good evening and welcome.

My name is Michelle and I'm so glad you're here with me.

Tonight's bedtime story can be found in the Red Fairy Book.

In 1890,

Andrew Lang tells the story entitled,

The Seven Fowls.

There was once upon a time a couple of poor folks who lived in a wretched hut,

Far away from everyone else in a wood.

They only just managed to live from hand to mouth and had great difficulty in doing even so much as that.

But they had three sons and the youngest of them was called Cinderlad,

For he did nothing else but lie and poke about among the ashes.

One day,

The eldest lad said that he would go out to earn his living.

He soon got to leave to do that and set out on his way into the world.

He walked on and on for the whole day and when night was beginning to fall he came to a royal palace.

The king was standing outside on the steps and asked where he was going.

Oh,

I am going about seeking a place,

My father said the youth.

Would thou serve me and watch my seven fowls?

Asked the king.

If thou canst watch them for a whole day and tell me at night what they eat and drink,

Thou shalt have the princess in half my kingdom.

But if thou canst not,

I will cut three red stripes on thy back.

The youth thought that it was very easy work to watch the fowls and that he could do it well enough.

Next morning,

When the day was beginning to dawn,

The king's master of the horse let out the seven fowls and they ran away.

And the youth after them just as it chanced over hill and dale,

Through woods and bogs.

When the youth had run thus for a long time,

He began to be tired and when he had held on a little longer,

He was heartily weary of watching it all.

And at the same moment he came to a cleft in a rock where an old woman was sitting spinning with her de-staffed in her hand.

As soon as she caught sight of the youth who was running after the fowls,

Till the perspiration streamed down his face,

She cried,

Come hither,

Come hither,

My handsome son,

And let me comb your hair for you.

The lad was willing enough,

So he sat down in the cleft of the rock beside the old hag and laid his head on her knees and she combed his hair all day while he lay there and gave himself up to vitalness.

Evening was drawing near,

The youth wanted to go.

I may just as well go straight home again,

Said he,

For it's no use to go to the king's palace.

Wait till it is dusk,

Said the old hag,

And then the king's fowls will pass by this place again and you can run home with them.

No one will ever know that you've been lying here all day instead of watching the fowls.

So when they came,

She gave the lad a bottle of water and a bit of moss and told him to show these to the king and say that this was what seven fowls ate and drank.

Ask thou watched faithfully and well the whole day long,

Said the king,

When the lad came into this presence in the evening.

Yes,

That I have,

Said the youth.

Then you're able to tell me what it is that my seven fowls eat and drink,

Said the king.

So the youth produced the bottle of water and the bit of moss she had gotten from the old woman saying,

Here you see their meat and here you see their drink.

Then the king knew how his watching had been done and he fell into such a rage that he ordered his people to chase the youth back to his own home at once.

But first they were to cut three red stripes in his back and rub salt into them.

When the youth reached home again,

Anyone can imagine what a state of mind he was in.

He'd gone out once to seek a place,

He said,

But never would he do such a thing again.

Next day the second son said that he would now go out into the world to seek his fortune.

His father and mother said no and made him look at his brother's back,

But the youth would not give up his design and stuck to it.

And after a long,

Long time,

He got leave to go and set forth on his way.

When he had walked all day,

He too came to the king's palace and the king was standing outside on the steps and asked where he was going.

And when the youth replied that he was going about in search of a place,

The king said that he might enter into his service and watch his seven vows.

Then the king promised him the same punishment and the same reward that he had promised his brother.

The youth at once consented to this and entered into the king's service,

For he thought he could easily watch the vows and inform the king what they ate and drank.

In the gray light of dawn,

The master of the horse let out the seven vows and off they went again over hill and dale and off went the lad after them.

But all went with him as it had gone with his brother.

When he had run after the vows for a long,

Long time and was hot and tired,

He passed by a cleft in the rock where an old woman was sitting spinning with a distaff and she called to him,

Come hither,

Come hither,

My handsome son,

And let me comb your hair.

The youth liked the thought of this,

Let the vows run where they chose and seated himself in the cleft of the rock by the side of the old hag.

So there he sat with his head on her lap,

Taking his ease the live long day.

The vows came back in the evening and then he too got a bit of moss and a bottle of water from the old hag,

Which things he was to show to the king.

But when the king asked the youth,

Can't thou tell me what my seven vows eat and drink?

Then the youth showed him the bit of moss and the bottle of water and said,

Yes,

Here you may behold their meat and hear their drink.

The king once more became a wroath and commanded that three red stripes should be cut on the lad's back,

That salt should be strewn upon them,

And that he should be then instantly chased back to his own home.

So when the youth got home again,

He too related all that had happened to him,

And he too said that he had gone out in search of a place once,

But that he would never do it again.

On the third day,

Cinderlad wanted to set out.

He had a fancy to try to watch the seven vows himself,

He said.

The two others laughed at him and mocked him.

But I,

When all went so ill with us,

Do you suppose that you are going to succeed?

You who have never done anything else but lie and poke about among the ashes,

Said they.

Yes,

I will go,

Too,

Said Cinderlad,

For I had taken it into my head.

The two brothers laughed at him.

His father and mother begged him not to go,

But all to no purpose,

And Cinderlad set out on his way.

So when he had walked the whole day,

He too came to the king's palace as darkness began to fall.

There stood the king,

Outside on the steps,

And he asked whether he was bound.

I am walking about in search of a place,

Said Cinderlad.

From whence do you come then,

Inquired the king,

For by this time he wanted to know a little more about the men before he took any of them into his service.

So Cinderlad told him whence he came,

And that he was brother to the two who had watched the seven fouls for the king,

And then he inquired if he might be allowed to try to watch them on the following day.

Oh,

Shame on that,

Said the king,

For it enraged him even to think of them.

If thou art brother to those two,

Thou too art not good for much.

I have had enough of such fellows.

Well,

But as I have come here,

You might just give me a leave to make the attempts,

Said the king.

Oh,

Very well,

If thou art absolutely determined to have thy back flayed,

Thou mayest have thine own way if thou wilt,

Said the king.

I would much rather have the princess,

Said Cinderlad.

Next morning,

In the grey light of dawn,

The master of the horse let out the seven fouls again,

And off they set over hill and dale,

Through woods and bogs,

And off went Cinderlad after them.

When he had run,

Thus for a long time,

He too came to a cleft in the rock.

There the old hag was once more spinning from her to staff,

And she cried to Cinderlad,

Come hither,

Come hither,

My handsome son,

And let me comb my hair for you.

Come to me then,

Come to me then,

Said Cinderlad,

As he passed by,

Jumping and running,

And keeping tight hold of one of the fouls' tails.

When he had got safely past the cleft in the rock,

The youngest foul said,

Get on my back,

For we have still a long way to go.

So the lad did this,

And thus they journeyed onwards a long,

Long way.

Dost thou see anything now,

Said the foul?

No,

Said Cinderlad.

So they journeyed onwards a good bit farther.

Dost thou see anything now,

Asked the foul?

Oh no,

Said the lad.

When they had gone,

Thus,

For a long,

Long way,

The foul again asked,

Dost thou see anything now?

Yes,

Now I see something that is white,

Said Cinderlad.

It looks like the trunk of a great thick birch tree.

Yes,

That is where we are to go in,

Said the foul.

When they got to the trunk,

The eldest foul broke it down on one side,

And then they saw a door where the trunk had been standing,

And inside this there was a small room,

And in the room there was scarcely anything but a small fireplace and a couple of benches,

But behind the door hung a great rusty sword and a small pitcher.

Hence that wield that sword,

Asked the foul.

Cinderlad tried,

But could not do it,

So he had to take a drop from the pitcher,

And then one more,

And after that still another,

And then he was able to wield the sword with perfect ease.

Good,

Said the foul.

And now thou must take the sword away with thee,

And with it thou shall cut off the heads of all the seven of us on thy wedding day,

And then we shall become princes again as we were before.

For we are brothers of the princess whom thou art to have,

When thou canst tell the king what we eat and drink,

But there is a mighty troll who's cast a spell over us.

When thou hast cut off our heads,

Thou must take the greatest care to lay each head at the tail of the body to which it belonged before,

And then the spell which the troll is cast upon us will lose all its power.

Cinderlad promised to do this,

And then they went on farther.

When they had travelled a long,

Long way,

The foul said,

Dost thou see anything?

No,

Said Cinderlad.

So they went on a great distance farther.

And now,

Inquired the foul,

Seest thou nothing now?

Alas,

No,

Said Cinderlad.

So they travelled onwards again,

For many and many a mile,

Over hill and dale.

Now then,

Said the foul,

Dost thou not see anything now?

Yes,

Said Cinderlad.

Now I see something like a bluish streak far,

Far away.

That is a river,

Said the foul,

And we have to cross it.

There was a long,

Handsome bridge over the river,

And when they had got to the other side of it,

They again travelled on a long,

Long way.

And then once more,

The foul inquired if Cinderlad saw anything.

Yes,

This time he saw something that looked black,

Far,

Far away,

And was rather like a church tower.

Yes,

Said the foul,

We shall go into that.

When the fouls got into the churchyard,

They turned into men,

And looked like the sons of a king,

And their clothes were so magnificent that they shone with splendour,

And they went into the church and received bread and wine from the priest,

Who was standing before the altar,

And Cinderlad went in too.

But when the priest had laid his hands on the princes and read the blessing,

They went out of the church again,

And Cinderlad went out too,

But he took with him a flask of wine and some consecrated bread.

No sooner had the seven princes come out into the churchyard than they became fouls again,

And Cinderlad got upon the back of the youngest,

And they returned by the way they had come,

Only they went much,

Much faster.

First they went over the bridge,

And then past the trunk of the birch tree,

And then past the old hag who sat in the cleft of the rock spinning,

And they went by so fast that Cinderlad could not hear what the old hag screeched after him,

But just heard enough to understand that she was terribly enraged.

It was all but dark when they got back to the king at nightfall,

And he himself was standing in the courtyard waiting for them.

Thus thou watch well and faithfully the whole day,

Said the king to Cinderlad.

I have done my best,

Replied Cinderlad.

Then now canst tell me what my seven fouls eat and drink,

Asked the king.

So Cinderlad pulled out the consecrated bread and a flask of wine and showed them to the king.

Here may you behold their meat,

And here their drink,

Said he.

Yes,

Diligently and faithfully hast thou watched,

Said the king,

And thou shalt have the princess and half the kingdom.

So all was made ready for the wedding,

And the king said that it was to be so stately and magnificent that everyone should hear of it,

And everyone will inquire about it.

But when they sat down to the marriage feast,

The bridegroom arose and went down into the garden,

For he said that he had forgotten something,

Which he must go and look to.

When he got there,

He did what the fouls had bidden him,

And cut off the heads of all the seven,

First the eldest,

And then the second,

And so on according to their age.

And he was extremely careful to lay each head at the tail of the foul to which it had belonged.

And when that was done,

All the fouls became princes again.

When he returned to the marriage feast with the seven princes,

The king was so joyful that he both kissed Cinderlad and clapped him on the back,

And his bride was still more delighted with him than she had been before.

Half my kingdom is thine already,

Said the king,

And the other half shall be thine after my death,

For my sons can get countries and kingdoms for themselves now that they have become princes again.

Therefore,

As all may well believe,

There was joy and merriment at that wedding.

Good night.

Reviews

Yes. This was so easy to sleep to! Thank you for the amazing sleep storyyyy! ❤️

It was good maybe you should add music at the end so the meditation goes longer and so the kids have more time to fall asleep it just a suggestion you don’t have to do it ❤️💕 but it’s still really good keep doing what you are doing ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🙂

Great could you add more words like hither, thy, thou, ect for some reason I find that kind of talk entrancing

A lovely reading but you are pronouncing it “fowl” when foal is pronounced “fole” making me think of chickens😅😘