University Shwe Yi Win - Gifts of the Magician

The Wizard's Gifts

Long ago in Finland, a young man left home with a bow and arrows to make a living for himself. He wandered along a mountainside covered in pine trees. He believed in his heart that by going into the forest like this, he would make money.

His belief became unwavering as the daylight hours passed and the darkness of night set in. Because the howling of wolves was still loud in this dense evergreen forest at night. So he decided to go out the next day to look for work. However, when he decided to go home, he couldn't remember the way home.

As night fell, the fear grew. The sounds of prey were heard all around. At that moment, a sorcerer was seen running away, surrounded by a pack of wolves.

Seeing this, the young man's fear disappeared and his courage returned. So he prepared his bow, loaded an arrow, and shot the wolf that was following him in front into the heart. After hitting the first wolf, he fired another arrow. Then, seeing the three wolves fall to the ground dead, the other wolves turned and ran away.

The magician said happily, "Thank you very much, child. You have saved my life. Follow me to your house now, and I will give you whatever you want tomorrow."

The young man replied, “If I can stay here for just one night, I don’t want anything.” The young man happily followed the wizard’s call. When he arrived at the wizard’s house, he ate a hearty dinner and slept soundly for two years on the bed the wizard had provided.

The next morning, the girl who worked at the sorcerer's house came to wake her up. Then she said, "Since you saved my master's life, I will tell you a secret, and nothing else. If the master will allow you to ask for anything, I will ask for the horse in the third stable as a reward for you."

The young man, following the girl's advice, asked the magician for a reward. He asked for a horse from the third stable. The magician said, "Very well, take it, you are my life's reward. I must give you what you ask. And take this violin and the violin string, so that if you find yourself in danger, you can play it."

The young man thanked the magician, jumped on his horse, and continued on his journey to his home. Before he had even reached his destination, the young man was startled by the words that came out of the horse's mouth.

"I don't want to support you going home right now. Your father will definitely get angry and beat you for running away from home. So first, earn money for your future. Then, if you still want to go home, then go back. I would like to suggest that you go to the royal palace and see what fortune has in store for us."

The horse began to speak.

The young man was ready to follow the horse's advice. When they arrived at the royal court, the king was so impressed with the horse that he wanted to sell it to the young man. He also told him to ask for as much as he liked for the horse's price.

The horse again whispered to the young man, "Don't sell me. Ask the king for permission to stay in the royal stables. And if the king allows me to stay in the royal stables, all the horses in the royal stables will become as beautiful as me."

The king agreed when the young man explained this. Within a few days, the old horses in the king's stables became younger, and the beautiful and graceful horses became even more graceful. The king was very pleased and gave the young man a large sum of money.

There was a man in the palace who did not like the young man. He was the groom who looked after the horses. The king's groom was very jealous of the young man. So he reported to the king that this young man was deceiving the king and lying to him. The king said, "If this man is lying to me, I will expose him." He called the young man and said, "You are very good, so go to the forest and find my queen. My queen

"Ha disappeared while traveling with me for about seven years," he said.

The young man was very disappointed when he heard the king's order. However, he bowed his head in reverence, saddled the horse that the magician had given him, and set off. Then he sighed and asked, "What should I do?"

Then the horse said, "It's easy, it's just a matter of time. I'm the king's lost queen. The magician made me look like this. Ride me into the sea, and you'll see what happens when you get there."

The young man rode the horse towards the sea as he was told. As soon as the horse touched the sea, the horse transformed into the most beautiful queen in the world.

The king was still not satisfied with the queen's return. The king's equerry had told him that the young man was plotting to kill the king. So he ordered the young man to be hanged. When they reached the execution site, the young man said, "Allow me one last thing: let me play my violin before I die."

The king granted the young man's last wish. However, as soon as the young man began to play the violin, everyone, including the king, could not control themselves and began to dance. Everyone was so tired from dancing that they did not even have the strength to hang the young man.

The next day they were about to hang the young man and kill him. The young man said again, "Allow me to make one last request: let me play the violin and then sing."

The king reluctantly agreed. However, before he could play, he asked that he be tied to a tree. He shouted, "I will dance no matter what."

As soon as the king was tied to the tree, the young man began to play. Immediately the tree that had tied the king to it began to dance. The tree, uprooted by its roots, disappeared far away from the people, even today.

So the young man married the queen and ruled the country. And they lived happily ever after.