097. The Girl with Golden Hair (La Niña de Los Cabellos de Oro)
A woman once went to the mountains to collect firewood, [where] she searched for branches that had broken off from trees, and cut and bundled them together to carry them home. And she was at this task when a giant appeared and told her that he was the master of the forest and that, as he had caught her stealing his firewood, he was going to kill her then and there.
The woman, being very remorseful and tearful, apologized; and on seeing that the giant was not moved, she begged him to, if not for her, then at least spare her life for the child that she was carrying in her womb, as she was [currently] pregnant. The giant, on hearing this, decided to forgive her, but with the condition that she would hand over her child to him after it was born.
Time passed and the woman gave birth to a girl with golden [strands of] hair. The girl grew up and used to play near her mother’s hut, and the giant appeared from time to time and asked her to remind her mother of what she had promised him. The girl, being [of an] innocent [age], told this to her mother, and the mother became very sad each time she heard [of] the giant’s inquiry. Until one day when the giant told the girl that if her mother would not give him what she had promised, he would take it himself. The mother, in tears, then told her child that, when she would see the giant again and he repeated his inquiry, to tell him in her stead that he could take what she owed him.
The girl did this and the giant carried her [away] to his house in the forest.
[In order] that the girl could be entertained, the giant gifted her with a cat, a dog, and a squirrel. He was so happy to have the girl with him that each morning he took care to comb her [hair] himself, and while combing her hair, he would count the golden hair strands one by one.
One day when the girl was looking out the window of the house, the son of a king, who was out hunting, passed by and fell in love with her upon seeing her. They began to talk, and the more he talked to her, the more beautiful and lovely she seemed to him. He then asked her for one of her golden hair strands to carry it next to his heart. The girl did not want to give it to him because she feared that the giant, on counting her hair the next morning, would realize that one was missing and become furious [at her]. The prince insisted and advised her that, if the giant discovered the missing hair, she could tell him that it was plucked [off] by the dog while they were playing together. In the end, the prince insisted so much that she ended up giving him [a strand of hair] and he happily went back to his palace.
The next morning, the giant began to comb the girl’s hair and noticed a strand was missing. The girl then told him that the dog had inadvertently plucked it off while they were playing. And the giant became so mad that he killed the dog.
The prince returned every day to speak with the girl, who was waiting for him at her window. And finally, one day, he asked her for another strand of hair. The girl then told him of the giant’s tremendous fury the last time he found out that a hair of hers was missing, but the prince insisted and said to her that, if he again noticed the missing hair, she could tell him that it had been the cat which plucked it off. And the girl [again] gave him a strand of hair.
The giant, when combing her hair the next morning, noticed the missing strand again. The girl told him that it had been the cat [which plucked it off] and the giant, even more furious, grabbed the cat and killed it.
And so until another of the prince’s visits when he again asked for a golden strand of hair as a [love] token, telling her to place the blame on the squirrel this time. The girl did this and the giant killed the squirrel.
[Nguyen: I just feel bad for these animals… I don’t know why she would fall for someone like this….]
One day, the giant, who was happier than ever to have the girl, took her for a walk in the enormous gardens surrounding the house. During the walk, they stopped before a rose bush which had beautiful roses with red petals and the giant told her that, with a handful of petals from those roses, a great fire could be made wherever she threw them. The girl, on hearing this, took a few roses and put them in her pouch.
They continued walking quietly through the garden and, after a while, stopped in front of a rose bush whose petals were as white as snow, and the giant explained to the girl that with a handful of petals from those roses she could spring up a current of water wherever they were scattered. And the girl, on hearing this, also took some white roses and put them in her pouch.
In the meantime, the prince kept coming to the girl’s window, taking advantage of the fact that, during the day, the giant was busy going through his possessions; and of course, they were [became] more and more in love with each passing day.
But who would dare tell the giant? If he had killed the dog, the cat, and the squirrel for a single golden hair, would it not be reasonable for him to [also] kill the prince for stealing the girl from him?
After much pondering, both decided that the best thing to do would be to elope together, without notifying the giant. And so they did. One day in the morning, the prince came on his best horse and they escaped as fast as the wind to the king’s palace.
When the giant returned to his house and saw that the girl with the golden hair had disappeared, he went mad and left immediately in search of her, making the forest tremble with his footsteps and his shouts. He was so big and ran so fast that in a few strides he spotted them mounted on the prince’s horse, and giving a big snort, he hastened towards them.
Then the girl, as soon as she saw him, threw a handful of the white rose petals and at once a rushing river sprang up and divided the forest in two. But the giant was so big that he took momentum with his legs and, with a large stride, went across the river and continued chasing after them.
Then, the girl took a handful of petals from the red rose and threw them where the giant was coming from. A great fire was formed and rose above the tallest trees. The giant, when he reached there, wanted to leap across it, but on doing so, the fire consumed him entirely and he was burnt to death on that spot.
The prince and the girl finally arrived at the king’s palace and there they wedded. Afterwards they sent for the girl’s mother, who was still crying over her, and since then they have lived happily together [ever after].
—– VOCABULARY —–
Aconsejar – (to suggest) to advise, to recommend
Amo – (proprietor) owner, master
Ardilla – squirrel
Asomarse a la ventana – peeking out the window
Avisar – (to inform) to let know, to tell, to notify; (to alert) to warn; (to notify by telephone) to call
Avistar – (to make out) to sight, to catch sight of; avistarse – (to convene, used with “con”) to have a meeting with
Compungido – (regretful) contrite, remorseful; (disconsolate) sorrowful, sad
Conmover – (to cause emotion) to move, to touch; (to rock) to shake; conmoverse – (to feel emotion) to be moved, to be touched; (to be rocked) to be shaken
Darse cuenta de que – (to become aware that) to realize that, to notice that, to realize, to notice
Desgajar – (to rip out) to tear out, to break off; desgajarse – (to snap off) to break up
De vez en cuando – once in a while; occasionally; from time to time; now and again
Encantador – (likeable) charming, delightful, lovely
Encargar – (to request) to order, to commission (work); (to give responsibility to) to put in charge of
En prenda – pledged; as a pledge; as a token; garment; pledge
Entrañas – (anatomy) entrails, guts, insides, bowels; (emotions) hearts
Esparcirse – (to be dispersed) to spread, to be scattered, to spread out; (to entertain oneself) to amuse oneself, to relax
Faltriquera – (old-fashioned) (pocket on clothing) pocket; (small pouch tied under clothing) small pouch
Fugarse – (to flee) to escape (from jail); to run away (from home); to elope (to get married)
Hoguera – (fire) bonfire
Impulso – (physics) momentum; (drive) boost, impetus, stimulus; (desire) impulse, urge; (anatomy) impulse
Juntar – (to place together) to put together; (finance) to save, to raise; (to make a collection) to collect
Llamarada – (sudden flames) sudden blaze, flare-up, blaze; (literary) (reddening) flush; (literary) (fit) outburst, blaze
Perseguir – (to run after) to pursue, to follow, to chase
Pillar – (to grab) to catch, to get; (to capture) to catch; (to come down with) to catch
Precipitar – (to quicken) to hasten, to rush, to speed up, to precipitate (formal); (to fling) to throw, to hurl, to push, to crash (causing damage)
Puñado – (amount that fits in the hand) handful, fistful; (a few) handful
Recorrer – (to trek across) to travel around, to traverse; (to travel) to cover, to do; (to inspect) to look around
Retemblar – to shudder, to shake
Rosal – (botany) rose bush; rose tree
Rumbo al – to the, for the, towards the, towards, heading for the
Salvar – (to rescue) to save; (to conquer) to overcome; (to travel through) to cover, to go across
Soler – (with infinitive) to use to (in past tense), to tend to, usually (as adverb), to be in the habit of
Surgir – (to materialize) to arise, to come up, to emerge, to appear; (to rise up) to spring forth
Tremendo – (vast) tremendous, enormous; (atrocious) terrible, dreadful, horrific
Veloz – fast, quick, rapid, swift, expeditious
Zancada – stride