From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval
Part 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas)
017. (The Tree Of The Three Golden Apples) El Arbol De Las Tres Manzanas De Oro
(Recounted in 1912 by Juan Ignacio Montecinos, 32 years old, from San Felipe, who heard it told in Santiago when he was a kid.)
There was an old King, extremely wealthy and powerful, who ruled over a vast country which was full of natural resources and densely populated.
This King had three sons, handsome, strong and brave, loved by all the people, and even much more so by their parents, whom they in turn respected and loved with great devotion.
The King and his family lived in a magnificent palace, where at its base lie an orchard planted with all kinds of fruit trees of the most choice and varied species; but its principal ornament was an enormous and beautiful apple tree, whose top stood out among all others and could be seen from very far away. Its silver trunk and bronze leaves were the admiration of all who saw it.
An ancient legend linked its existence to the fate of the kingdom.
This marvelous tree produced three golden apples every year, which ripened successively on the first three nights of January; but for the past three years, someone had entered the orchard and stole them at the precise moment that they became ripened without the culprit getting caught, nor seen, and this happened despite the infinite precautions that were taken to prevent his entrance, which included the numerous guards, armed to the teeth, who were stationed around the tree in those three nights. A little before midnight an irresistible sleepiness would overcome everyone, and they did not wake up until the next day, when the fruit had already disappeared.
The King was extremely grief-stricken with this tragedy for what it was, and even more so, as it has been said, due to the fate of the kingdom being dependent on the marvelous apple tree.
Once, on the last day of the year, when the King was surrounded by his sons and all the high officials of the Court, he said:
Tomorrow at midnight the first golden apple will ripen, and for the fourth time the mysterious thief will come and steal it from us. Is there not a valiant man among you all who can stand in his way?
The King’s oldest son approached the throne and kneeling before his aging father, he spoke thus:
My lord and father, I intend to wait for our enemy and not allow myself to be overcome by sleepiness, and no matter how strong the thief is, I will defeat him and drag him back in chains and deliver him to you.
Go on, son, -replied the King,- and may God help you in this task.
The prince retired to his room, and although it was not even 2 o’clock in the afternoon he went to sleep in order not to feel sleepy later in the night. He woke up at 11 o’clock, and arming himself with the most powerful weapons, he went to the orchard and sat at the foot of the apple tree to wait for the arrival of the thief.
When the bell of the palace clock struck its first sound at 12 o’clock, the orchard was illuminated with such a bright light that the Prince, as if he was struck by lightning, became blind and fainted on the ground.
The next day they found him sprawled out on the ground, as if he was dead, and on the tree they only saw two golden apples: one had been stolen.
In the council that was held that day, the incident was discussed amid cries for revenge; but no one, except for the second of the King’s sons, offered to keep watch that night and make a lesson out of the unknown character who had put an end to the tranquility of the kingdom.
But man proposes and God disposes, and things did not turn out according to the wishes of the Prince. The events repeated themselves in the same way as the night before, and in the next morning they found the Prince lying on the ground, unconscious and blind. And there was only one apple left on the tree.
The deepest dismay appeared on the face of everyone. In the council no one dared to speak up, it seemed that everyone had lost the ability to speak.
But here the third of the princes, a beardless young man of about 18 years of age, stepped to the throne, and prostrating himself before his father, he expressed his wishes in the following way:
My lord and loving father, it pains me to see you sad and to think of my brothers in the miserable state that they are in now; it pains me to see the people being overtaken by fear and everyone being discouraged and without the determination to do anything. I wish to put an end to these things: I want peace to return to us all, and I hope that God will give my arms enough strength to defeat our common enemy and bring tranquility to our kingdom once more. Please give me your blessing, [and] bless[ings on] my weapons too, and may God help me.
His eyes were brimming with tears, and the King gave his blessings to the Prince and also the weapons that he had placed at his feet. The Prince immediately asked the King for permission to retire, then left the room quietly and went back to his bedroom where he remained to pray until about 12 o’clock, at which time, armed with nothing more than his bow and an arrow (the weapons that his father had given his blessings), he approached the orchard with the full confidence that he would defeat his opponent.
Soon after he heard a noise, as if a large bird was flying in the near distance, and when the clock struck the first bell at 12 o’clock, the orchard was illuminated with a bright light. But the Prince, instead of looking immediately at the tree bearing the golden apples as his brothers had done, humbly knelt and only after invoking the name of God and asking for his help would he take the bow and placed the arrow on the bowstring. In the glare of the light, which had softened significantly, the Prince could see an enormous Eagle with gold feathers and had on its shoulders a most beautiful Princess whose waist was being restrained by a gold chain, and where the other end of the chain was strongly gripped by one of the eagle’s feet, while with the other he tried to grab the only remaining apple. At the precise moment when the bird had its claw on it, the Prince let fly the arrow and injured the foot with which the bird had just taken the apple. The Eagle let out a painful cry, dropped the apple which the Prince quickly picked up, and fled. But not before the Princess plucked a gold feather from the bird and threw it to the young man, shouting to him thus:
Keep it, for it will help you find me.
When the Prince returned to the palace with his trophies, he was received with the greatest joy by the people. The King could not hide his happiness, because like everyone else he feared that the same misfortune that had so cruelly injured his brothers would also befall on the Prince.
Once the youth finished telling his story, he told his parents that he wished to go rescue the beautiful Princess, and also to kill the Eagle in order to rid the kingdom of future calamities that the monster could bring.
The King gave him permission to attempt this new trial; and the young man, who was in a hurry to depart since the memory of the Princess had somewhat driven him mad, arranged right away for his travel needs, and without anyone accompanying him, he headed out on the first road that he found in his path.
Thus he randomly wandered [from place to place] for many days, asking everywhere [and everyone] if they knew where he could find the Eagle with golden feathers; but no one could give him any news on this.
One day when he was very sad and pensive because time had passed by and he had yet to make progress in any of his tasks, he was suddenly taken out of his thoughts due to the uproar made by some children inside an open ditch by the side of the road. He went over to see what was causing the ruckus and saw that the kids were torturing a large frog, which they had lying on its back on the ground. The Prince reprimanded them for their cruelty, gently punished them and turned them away. He then immediately took the frog and hid it at some distance in the grass so that if the kids did return they would not be able to find it.
He wandered on for many days, following paths and crossing through forests without encountering a single human being, until one day when he finally came to a hut which stood on the banks of a stream. A pleasant-looking old woman was sitting at the door while peacefully enjoying her mate, which she brewed herself. The Prince greeted her affably and asked if she knew where he could find the Eagle with golden feathers and the Princess which it was holding captive. The old woman replied that she could definitely give him the news that he was interested in, but that it’d be good if he could get off the horse, sip some mate and rest for a while. The Prince complied with the old woman’s request, who then brewed him a delicious mate with lemon verbena leaves and orange peels, and later led him to a room in which there was a soft bed, where the Prince, who had not rested in a comfortable bed since leaving the palace, found it to be most agreeable and even more pleasant than the one he had in his bedroom at home.
The Prince slept like an angel of God (e.g. like a baby), and the next day he woke up recharged and in a positive mood and with great desires to continue on his adventure. He thanked the old woman for her services, presented her with some of the provisions that he had brought with him and begged her to provide him with the news that he was seeking. The old woman said to him:
Young Prince, you have been good to me. You have a kind heart as you take pity on the misfortunes of others, and I want to repay the debt that I owe you, as far as I am able, and reward you for your kindness.
The Prince did not understand what the nice woman was saying, and thinking that she was referring to the provisions that he had just given her, he said:
Ma’am! The lodging that you offered me and the good night sleep that I spent in your house were worth more than the negligible provisions that I had offered you; so that I am always in your debt!
No, that is my debt to you; don’t you remember, Prince, of the frog that the children were torturing in a ditch and whom you saved? Well, that frog is me, and I would have perished at the hands of those evil children if you did not step in at that time. I am grateful to you, and will repay my debt in the best possible way.
In a palace far away from here lives a giant sorcerer, most evil in nature, and is an enemy of mine. He is the one who holds captive the Princess that you are looking for, and he is also the one who had transformed into an eagle with golden feathers and stole the apples from that marvelous tree in your father’s orchard all these years. Those apples are what sustain his magical power, and as on his last try he could only manage to steal two, his power now will only last for the first eight months of this year; moreover, the feather that the Princess plucked from his body has diminished his strength, where he is now also weakened a bit due to the injury that you brought on his leg, which has left him lame. If you want to wait for the eight months to pass by, it won’t cost you much more effort to rescue the Princess than to defeat the Giant in an ordinary man-to-man fight, which with certainty you will come out victorious using the means that I will provide you; but if you want to rescue the Princess now and kill the enemy of your kingdom, you will have to go through many great dangers, for despite having lost some of his strength, the Giant’s power remains great and he is still surrounded by ferocious underlings.
I prefer to go through the dangers, -said the Prince,- and put an end to this once and for all, even if I perish in the upcoming fight.
You won’t perish, but you will be subjected to great fatigues. Follow the path that begins here in front of my hut, and after three days of travel you will arrive at the house of a one-eyed witch, more vile than bile itself and a beloved friend of the Giant: this is the first test that you have to pass. When you arrive, you will find her sitting at the door, with her back turned towards the road; you will approach her, trying not to get her attention of your presence and when you get to where she is, try to put the golden feather that the Princess had thrown at you in her right eye and she will be left blind: then you will seize an ax that she keeps behind the door and use it to defeat the beasts that guard the Giant’s palace, to fight and defeat him and to cut the chains with which the Princess is bound. You will also take the flask that the Witch has on a side table that is in the first room on the right; the water in the flask has magical property, and by putting the golden feather in it you’ll be able to remove burns and wounds caused by the monsters guarding the palace. In the same way you’ll be able to cure your brothers’ blindness when you return home. If any unforeseen impediment gets in your way, think of me and I will come to your help. Now go, and may God be with you.
The Prince was overjoyed as he left, and after three days of almost continuous travel,= the horse stopped a short distance from the door of a modest house, in which there was a woman sitting on the floor, with her back towards the road. The Prince got off from his horse and tread lightly on tiptoes, and approached the woman and put the golden feather in one of her eyes; but unfortunately he picked the wrong one, where instead of putting it in her right eye, which was the healthy one, he put it in her left, which was the blinded one. The woman, on feeling the sting, entered the house and quickly returned with some water in the flask, with which she sprayed on the Prince and saying this at the same time: “Go back to where you were, mongrel.” And the Prince was transformed at once into a dirty and despicable little dog. Then the woman immediately took a club and dealt him one of the most famous beatings in recent memory.
The Prince fled into the house with his tail between his legs, howling pitifully at the same time.
How the poor lad lamented for his ill fortune! All was already lost! Goodbye Princess, and my Father and Mother and Brothers!
But he suddenly remembered the last thing the old woman said to him and began to whisper to himself so that no one would hear him: “Little frog, little frog, remember this poor prince here!” And almost at the same time that he finished saying these words, he saw the Frog appeared by his side.
The Frog jumped up and said in his ear: “Don’t you worry, let us wait for the Witch to sleep and then we will make her pay for the things that she had done [to you].”
After two or three hours, they approached the door to the room where the Witch was sleeping and heard that she was snoring loudly. Then the Frog turned into the Old Woman that the Prince had met three days earlier and chanted some unintelligible words, whereupon the Prince stopped taking the form of a dog and transformed back into his natural human form. The golden feather was used to noiselessly open the door to the Witch’s bedroom: and then the Prince took the ax that was behind the door and delivered such a strike to the Witch’s neck that it separated her head from her shoulders.
[Nguyen: this description makes the story PG17!]
The Old Woman took the flask and told the Prince that she would accompany him so that he would not encounter any other misfortunes [the rest of the way]. They left the house, and under the Moonlight the Prince saw two horses, one which belonged to him and on which he mounted, and another, which was mounted by the Old Woman.
They set out on their travel, and when it was daylight the Prince could make out in the very far distance, at the peak of a high mountain, some sort of a castle. The Old Woman then said to him: “That is the Giant’s palace, whom we will defeat with the help of God.”
They continued on, and when they were about a league from the palace, a deafening sound of meowing, barking and terrifying roars reached their ears, as if a thousand beasts were releasing their threatening cries at the same time. Anyone else would have recoiled in fear, but our travelers continued on their path unperturbed.
More than half a league later, the horses would have continued on when a rather serious impediment stopped them in their track: the beasts were no longer content with just giving ferocious cries, and now they would also launched thick jets of liquid fire through their snouts and noses that reached our travelers and almost scalded them to death. However the golden feather soaked in the flask’s water was useful in a thousand ways, as if by magic not only did it cure them of the burns that the fire had caused, but also protected them from receiving any new ones.
Then they could advance without any worry; but before reaching the gate of the palace they had to cross a large expanse of land occupied by a multitude of lions, tigers, serpents, demons and other beasts and monsters that served the Giant, who were ready to tear the two intruders into pieces or getting themselves killed before they would permit the travelers to reach their master.
But the Prince, armed with the ax found in the Witch’s home, together with the Old Woman brandishing the golden feather soaked in water from the flask, although with some effort and having had to heal themselves of wounds from time to time, were able to defeat their powerful enemies, who were left strewn lifeless in the field.
So now they were in the presence of the Giant, who, seeing their arrival, raised his heavy iron crutch, which was capable of not killing a single man but an entire large army.
The Prince advanced towards the Giant fearlessly, and once the Giant had him within his reach, he slammed the crutch with such force that more than half of its length sunk into the earth. The Prince, as soon as he noticed the Giant’s move, dodged his body, and raising his ax, he brought it down on his enemy’s working leg, which he sliced off like a piece of cheese. The monster, who was no longer able to stand on his feet, fell on his side, and the Prince quickly ran to and severed his head with an ax swing.
The liberation of the Princess was complete in just a matter of seconds; with a smooth swing of his ax he cut off the golden chain that had bound her, and she was able to throw herself in the arms of her rescuer.
Using the chariots and horses stationed in the same palace, the Prince loaded them up with all the valuables that he found and immediately began to head back to his father’s kingdom. Through the magical power of the Old Woman, who had rendered them with great services [thus far], in only a few hours they had arrived back at the gate of the capital city. There the Old Woman said goodbye to the Prince and the Princess, but not before she advised them to always be kind and virtuous, for that is the only way to obtain happiness, then she disappeared from their sight. The Old Woman was the Lady Virgin.
The Prince was welcomed back by everyone in the midst of the greatest joy and was proclaimed the savior of the kingdom. His brothers also regained their sight after being applied with the water of the flask using the golden feather [of the eagle].
The wedding of the young Prince and the Princess was one of the most celebrated events [in the history of the kingdom]. Great festivals were held for the [common] people, who all had a wonderful time, and I participated in them all and drank a lot and ate more than a sabañón.
[Nguyen: sabañón translates to chilblain, but I’m not sure if that is the correct translation in this context.]
—– VOCABULARY —–
Morar – (to reside) to dwell, to live
Suntuoso – sumptuous, magnificent, lavish
Escogido – (selected) chosen; (of superior quality) choice; (exclusive) select
Descollar – (to be prominent) to stand out; (to excel) to stand out
Ligar – (to attach) to tie, to tie up, to bind; (medicine) to put a ligature on (an artery); to tie (a tube); to bind up (a foot, ankle or arm); (to unite) to bind, to bind together, to link
Sazón – (taste) seasoning, flavor; (state of being ripe) ripeness
Atrapar – (to grasp) to catch; (to take captive) to capture; (to immobilize) to trap
Miserable – (shabby) wretched, squalid; (meager) miserable, paltry; (miserly) mean, stingy; (vile) despicable, nasty; (unhappy) wretched; (vile person) wretch; (ungenerous person) stingy person, mean person, miser
Sustraer – (math) to subtract, to take away; (to take out) to remove, to take away; (to thieve) to steal; (to draw out) to extract
Sustraerse – (to keep out) to avoid, to withdraw
Apoderarse – (to appropriate, used with “de”) to seize, to take possession of, to take control of; (to overpower, used with “de”) to overcome, to grip
Estorbar – (to impede) to get in the way of, to be in the way of, to obstruct, to hinder; (to disturb) to bother
Hincarse – (to kneel down) to kneel; hincar – (to ram) to thrust, to drive, to bury, to stick
A fin de – (used to indicate the end of something) at the end of; (used to indicate purpose) in order to, so that
Desvanecer – (to make disappear) to dispel (doubts or fears), to dissipate (smoke or fog); (to decolor) to fade; (to make indistinct) to blur; desvanecerse – (medicine) to faint; (to disappear) to clear (smoke or fog), to disperse (smoke or fog), to be dispelled (doubts or fears)
Comentar – (to comment on) to discuss, to talk about; (to explain) to comment on; (to state) to mention, to tell, to say
Hecho – (reality) fact; (event) incident; (to be done) made, done; (finished) ready
Escarmiento – (warning) lesson; (sanction) punishment
Imberbe – (without facial hair) beardless
Prosternarse – (to get down on one’s knees) to grovel, to kneel down, to kneel, to prostrate oneself (lying face down);
Sobrecoger – (to alarm) to startle, to frighten, to scare
Orar – to pray
Arco – (shape) arch, arc; (weapon) bow; (music) bow
Cuerda – rope; string; cord; bowstring
Resplandor – (brilliance) brightness, glare, gleam, glitter, flash, blaze (of a fire); (joy) radiance
Dulcificar – (to mellow) to sweeten, to soften; (culinary) to sweeten
Sujetar – (to grasp) to hold; (to fix in place) to fasten, to hold in place; (to restrain) to hold down, to subdue, to conquer
Apretar – (to apply pressure) to press, to pull, to squeeze, to step on (accelerator); (to compress) to squeeze, to clutch, to clench (fist), to grit (teeth), to crush, to grip
Agarrar – (to grasp with the hands) to grab, to take, to take hold of, to grip (with force), to grasp (with force), to seize (by force), to catch (a projectile)
Soltar – (to stop holding) to let go of, to drop, to put down, to let out; (to make less tight) to loosen; (to free) to set free, to release
Transportar – (to enthrall) to captivate, to mesmerize
Gozo – joy
Trastornar – (to upset mentally) to disturb, to unhinge; (to anger) to drive crazy, to drive mad, to trouble; (to alter) to disrupt, to upset, to disturb, to turn upside down
Prevención – (act of preventing) prevention; (caution) precaution; (preconception) prejudice
Azar – random, randomly, chance, randomized
Algazara – din, uproar, racket
Zanja – (gutter) ditch; (channel) trench; (Latin America) gully, watercourse; (low wall) (Andes) fence
Bulla – (noise) racket, uproar, ruckus; (fight) brawl, quarrel
Ortiga – (botany) nettle, stinging nettle
Rana – frog
Increpar – to rebuke, to reprimand
Cebar – (to feed up) to fatten up, to fatten; (angling or hunting) to bait (a hook or trap); (to fuel) to feed, to stoke up; (to intensify) to feed (emotions); (mate) (Southern Cone) to brew, to prepare
Cedrón – (herb) lemon verbena, lemon beebrush
Cáscara – (covering) shell (of an egg and nuts), peel (of fruit), skin (of a banana or potato), rind (of cheese or citrus); (on seafood) shell
Reposar – (to physically relax) to rest; (to be buried) to lie, to repose; (culinary) to stand, to settle
Blanda – soft, softwood
Reconfortar – (to console) to comfort, to cheer up, to encourage; (to reinvigorate) to revitalize
Obsequiar – (to make a gift of) to present, to give
Apiadar – (to cause pity) to earn the pity of, to move to pity; apiadarse – (to have mercy on, used with “de”) to take pity on
Ajeno – (belonging to someone else) other people’s; someone else’s; (not connected to) foreign, alien, unconnected, unaffiliated
Víveres – provisions, supplies, food
Aminorar – (to diminish) to reduce; (to decrease speed) to slow down
Perecer – (to pass away) to perish, to die; perecerse – (to feel intensely) to die; (to crave) to long to, to be crazy about
Contienda – (struggle) conflict, contest; (sports) game, match
Tuerto – (person with only one eye) one-eyed person; (person who can see with only one eye) person who is blind in one eye
Hiel – (gall) bile; (rancour) bitterness, bile
Apoderarse – (to appropriate, used with “de”) to seize, to take possession of
Apoderar – (legal) to authorize, to empower, to grant power of attorney
Derrotar – (to vanquish) to defeat (an army or team); to beat (a team)
Redoma – flask, phial
Arrimo – (help) support; (shelter) protection; (architecture) partition
Ceguera – (medicine) blindness
Imprevisto – (unplanned) unexpected, unforeseen; (unplanned incident) unexpected event, unforeseen event
Alborozado – overjoyed, jubilant
Quedito – (not loudly) very softly, very quietly; (not roughly) very gently
Equivocar – (to mix up) to get wrong; (to cause to make an error) to make … make a mistake, to make … go wrong; (to make a poor choice of) to choose the wrong, to pick the wrong
Rociar – (to spatter) to spray, to sprinkle (with oil or lemon juice), to douse (with gasoline); (to accompany) to wash down with
Quiltro – (Southern Cone) lapdog, stray dog, mongrel; pest, nuisance
Incontinenti – (archaic) at once
Garrote – (tool) stick, club; (instrument for execution) garrote
Propinar – (to deliver) to give, to deal; propinarse – (to get) to treat oneself to
Roncar – to snore
Asestar – (to inflict) to deal, to deliver; (to shoot) to fire
Ensordecedor – deafening
Maullido – (sound cats make) meow, miaow
Ladridos – (sound made by a dog) bark, barking
Rugir – (to cry) to roar, bellow; (to make loud noise) to roar, to bellow, to rumble
Retroceder – (to move in reverse) to back up, to reverse, to move backwards; (to give up) to back down; (to retreat) to pull back; (firearms) to recoil
Pavor – (fear) dread, terror
Impertérrito – unmoved, unafraid
Hocico – (of an animal) snout, nose, muzzle
Chorro – (spurt) stream, jet; (abundance) loads, stream; (Southern Cone) (robber) thief, pickpocket
Abrasar – (to blaze) to burn; (to scald) to burn; (to desiccate) to scorch, to dry
Empapar – (to coat) to soak; (to get completely wet) to drench, to soak, to saturate; (to absorb) to soak up
Portarse – (to act) to behave; portar – (to hold) to carry, to bear; (to have on) to wear
Ensalmo – (charm) incantation, spell
Llagar – (to ulcerate) to cause a sore on, to cause sores on; llagarse – (to ulcerate) to get sores, to get a sore
Despedazar – (to tear apart) to tear to shreds, to rip to pieces, to tear up; (to cut into pieces) to cut up; (to hurt) to break; (to bring down) to rip apart
Blandir – (to wield) to brandish; (to swing) to wave, to flourish
Pesada – weighed, heavy
Muleta – (walking support) crutch
Alcance – (grasp) reach; (extent) scope, reach; (significance) importance; (resources) means
Esquivar – (to move away from) to dodge (a blow or projectile), to avoid (a person or an animal); (to shun or evade) to avoid, to dodge (a question), to sidestep (an issue); (to get out of responsibilities) to avoid
Descargar – (to remove goods) to unload; (computing) to download; (to strike a blow) to deal; (to shoot a weapon) to fire; (to remove bullets) to unload
Cuan – (in comparisons) (Spain) as
se desplomó cuan largo era – he fell flat on the ground
Cortar a cercén – to sever
Acoger – (to welcome) to receive; (to provide refuge for) to take in; (to react to) to receive, to take
Patria – (native land) homeland, country, motherland, fatherland
Sabañón – (medicine) chilblains