Hello Hive friends, I got encouraged by @vcelier and I decided to share some SLovenian folktales with you. Today I am starting my first one with the title "The Golden Bird".
The king had an incredibly beautiful apple tree in his garden that bore golden apples, but no one could ever obtain them. Every morning, one was missing. The king stationed guards by the tree day and night to catch the thief, but even the best guards couldn't catch anyone taking the apples. Despite their efforts, one apple was always missing the next morning. All of this was of no use, and the soldiers were reluctant to stand guard.
The king had three sons. The two older ones were more mischievous and cared little for their younger brother. The king ordered his sons to take turns guarding the tree, and the first night, the eldest went. He took a rifle, loaded it well, walked up and down, and looked around to catch anyone who approached the tree. There was no one all night, but the next morning, an apple was missing.
The second night, the middle son went. With a loaded rifle, he walked up and down like the first, watching for anyone approaching the apple tree. No one was seen, but the next morning, another apple was missing.
On the third night, the youngest son went. Instead of using lead pellets, he loaded the rifle with peas, saying that he wouldn't shoot the thief but only identify what kind of sneaky creature it was that could steal the apples without being caught. In the evening, he stood under the tree, stared at the apples, and didn't look away. Around midnight, a bird flew down from the sky so silently that nothing could be heard. It landed on the tree, grabbed the apple with its claws, and as the youngest son aimed and shot, three feathers fell off the bird. Startled, the bird let go of the apple and flew away. The son picked up the feathers and noticed they were pure gold.
When the older brothers heard the gunshot, they rushed to the youngest and asked where the thief came from. He replied, "You could have seen it if you had looked." Then he went to his father and showed him the three golden feathers. Since the feathers were made of gold, the king thought to himself, "How beautiful must the bird be that has such feathers! I want it." He declared aloud, "Whoever brings me that bird will be the king."
The older brother was very tempted, took flour and a rifle, and went to search for the bird. He went into the forest, thinking that birds preferred the woods and hoping to find it there. He walked and walked through the forests, looking up at the trees, but the golden bird was nowhere to be found.
He reached a clearing, and being hungry, he got off his horse, sat on the ground, took out flour from his bag, and began to eat. At that moment, a bear approached and asked him to share some food, saying, "Give me some too; I'm hungry." The older brother looked at the bear, laughed, and said, "There will barely be enough for me; why should I give you any? Get away from me; the woods are for beasts like you. Go and hunt them!" The bear turned and said, "Just wait; you'll regret this!" Growling, it walked away.
After the prince finished eating, he continued and fell into the hands of robbers. They took everything he had—money and horse—and threatened to kill him. When he pleaded for his life, telling them he was the king's son, they said they would spare him only if he joined them and became a robber. What else could he do? At least they didn't kill him. He joined them and became a robber.
A year passed, but the eldest son did not return home. The second son then told his father that he intended to go and find his brother and the golden bird.
We can see analogies with some of the folk tales I am posting every day: A king, three brothers, two are not successful and the younger is very smart.
As this is a translation of a published book, you should follow the rules of hivewatchers and have a good portion of your post that is original. Also, you did not give the sources of your pictures, that I assume you did not create yourself.
Oh, I didn't know that it must be some portion of your own "original post". Like collecting, editing and translation isn't enough :). About the pics, these are all made of AI, I will check if there is a need to write source in this case. Thank you for your concerns and warnings.
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