Reading Notes: Europa Fairy Tales, Part B

For the next reading, I’ve decided to take notes over The Swan Maiden, from Joseph Jacob’s Europa’s Fairy Book.

Reading Notes

• A hunter would do most of his work at night, and one night was waiting in some bushes near a lake.
• Suddenly, he heard the sound of beating wings, and seven women appeared dressed in robes made of feathers.
• The women took off their robes and started splashing and playing in the lake; all were very pretty, but the youngest one caught the hunter’s eye, so he stole her robe.
• After the women had their fun, they came out of the water and put on their robes, except for the youngest sister of course.
• She and her sisters searched, but when it came close to dawn her sisters told to face whatever fate awaited her, and flew away.
• The hunter revealed himself, and insisted that the woman would marry him; he took her home and hid the feather robe, and together they had two children and were happy for a time.
• One day, one of the children found the robe, and showed it to her mother, who told her children to tell their father that he could find her “in the Land East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon;” the woman put the robe on and flew away.
• When the hunter came home, the children told him what his wife said, and he set off immediately to look for her.
• After some days of wandering, he came across an old man, and told him of his mission.
• The old man revealed himself to be the King of the Beasts, and summoned the beasts of the world.
• However, none of the beasts knew where this land was, so the King told the hunter to go speak to his brother, the King of the Birds.
• When the hunter found the King of the Birds, the King summoned all the birds of the world.
• However, none of the birds knew where the land was, so the King told the hunter to go speak to his brother, the King of the Fishes.
• So the hunter found the King of the Fishes, who summoned all the fishes of the world.
• When asked, one dolphin said he had heard of the Land East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon, but all he knew was that it was near the Wild Forest.
• The hunter went to the wild forest, and came across two men arguing; when they saw him, they asked him to help settle a dispute.
• The men were brothers; their father had passed, and left them a cap that made the wearer invisible and shoes that could take the wearer wherever he wanted, but they couldn’t decide who could choose what to have.
• The hunter told them to race to a tree and back, and whoever came back first would get first pick.
• However, as soon as the men took off running, the hunter put on the cap and shoes, and took off for the Land East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon.
• He found his way to the King of the Land, and told him he was there to retrieve his wife, the king’s youngest daughter.
• The king told the hunter he could have his wife back if he could pick her out from her sisters, and summoned all seven of his daughters into the room, looking very similar to the other.
• The hunter was able to identify his wife by her hands, because she had marks from holding a needle, since she would sew clothing for their children.
• Once he was able to identify her, the king gave them many gifts and sent them home, where they lived happily with their children.

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