Characters
The Enchanting Maiden
The innkeeper's daughter, known as the "beautiful girl," captivates the protagonist upon their first meeting as the reluctant wife of a fearsome ogre. For years, she has been held captive, but her clever mind devises a daring plan to free them both. She must steal four feathers from the ogre, skillfully answer his four riddling questions, and then make their escape before they fall victim to the ogre's hunger. She instructs the man to conceal himself beneath the bed while she dines with the ogre. As night falls and slumber beckons the ogre, she deftly plucks a feather, rousing him from his sleep. Craftily, she spins a tale of a dream, prompting the ogre to reveal its hidden meaning. This she repeats thrice more, each time passing the feather to the man in hiding. In the final dream, she speaks of an innkeeper whose daughter vanished long ago. To her shock, the ogre reveals that she herself is the innkeeper's lost child. With dawn's first light, the maiden and the man flee to the innkeeper, who is overwhelmed with joy at his daughter's return and eagerly offers her hand in marriage to the man.
The River's Ward
Upon his journey to confront the ogre in his lair, the protagonist encounters the ferry man, a soul bound to the river for countless years. Desperate for freedom, the ferry man entreats the protagonist to bring back an ogre's feather and to inquire about his fate. The ingenious girl, feigning sleep, dreams of the ferry man's plight. The ogre divulges the secret: for the ferry man to break his chains, he must leap ashore before his next passenger disembarks, dooming them to his role. As the man and maiden cross the waters homeward-bound, they bestow upon the ferry man the promised feather, revealing the ogre's secret only after reaching the opposite shore. Fate smiles upon the ferry man, for his next passenger is none other than the ogre, oblivious to the ferry man's knowledge. Seizing the moment, the ferry man leaps ashore, leaving the ogre trapped upon the vessel.
The Monastic Mystics
On his quest to the ogre's cave, the man meets a group of friars dwelling in a monastery. These holy men impart wisdom of the ogre's dwelling deep within the seventh of seven caverns, gifting him a candle and matches to light the way. They seek a feather from the ogre and plead for insight into the discord that has plagued their sanctuary for a decade. The girl, in her feigned slumber, imagines the friars' troubles. The ogre reveals that their strife stems from a devil disguised as a priest, residing among them for ten long years. The solution, he says, lies in the friars performing noble deeds to expose the imposter. As the couple returns, armed with a feather and the ogre's revelations, the true friars embark on a path of goodness, casting out the devil and restoring harmony.
The Grateful Innkeeper
The man's journey begins with the meeting of the innkeeper, who beseeches him to retrieve a feather from the ogre for fortune's sake and to solve the mystery of his missing daughter. Little does he know that the radiant girl, now the ogre's wife, dreams of the innkeeper's sorrow. The ogre inadvertently reveals that she is the innkeeper's long-lost child. Escape brings the man and the girl back to the innkeeper, who, jubilant at their reunion, gladly bestows his daughter's hand upon the man.
The Ailing Monarch
The king, stricken with a malady, hears from his physicians that his recovery hinges on acquiring a precious...
(This entire section contains 1167 words.)
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feather from the ogre. Among his retinue, only the daring protagonist steps forward to undertake this perilous quest. Upon his triumphant return with the coveted feather, the king's health is restored, and in gratitude, he showers the man with rewards. The news of the man's forthcoming marriage prompts the king to double his generosity.
The Healers of the Realm
Wise in their craft, the king's doctors prescribe a singular remedy for his illness: a feather from the enigmatic ogre. Their counsel proves sound as the king regains his vigor, thanks to the man who braved great dangers to secure the cure.
The Loyal Servant
In our tale, the hero emerges as the king's unwaveringly loyal and daring attendant. He alone possesses the audacity to embark on a perilous quest for a single feather from the fearsome ogre, the key to restoring the king's health. As he embarks on this daring journey, he pauses at four distinct locales. At each stop, he is implored to return with a feather and to pose a question to the ogre on their behalf. Without a moment's doubt, he consents to each plea. Upon reaching the ogre’s abode, a stunning maiden, both wife and prisoner of the ogre, welcomes him. She advises him to take refuge beneath the ogre's bed, where she cunningly plucks feathers and discreetly hands them over. At dawn, the duo escapes the ogre's lair, armed with feathers and answers to the enigmatic questions. Their path leads them to an innkeeper whose daughter, long held captive, is set free and given to him in marriage. When he presents the precious feather to the king, his health miraculously returns, and the hero receives a bountiful reward. Upon revealing his impending nuptials to the king, his recompense is generously doubled.
The Ogre
Perched atop the mountain, hidden in the seventh cave, dwells the formidable, feathered ogre. His plumage holds the miraculous power to mend the ailing monarch, bringing good fortune as well, yet he is notorious for devouring any human he encounters. As evening falls and the ogre returns famished, he detects the scent of the intruder lurking below his bed but remains unable to locate him. Once slumber envelops him, his astute wife deftly plucks several feathers and extracts answers to the four questions. At first light, she and the brave man make their escape. Upon discovering her absence, the ogre sets off in pursuit, his hunger for revenge driving him. However, fate intervenes when, trying to cross the river, he finds himself trapped aboard a ferry as the ferryman leaps ashore, leaving the ogre bound to the vessel and unable to continue his chase.
The Two Noblemen
Amidst his journey to confront the ogre, our protagonist rests by a fountain, where he encounters two elegantly dressed noblemen. They implore him to secure them one of the ogre’s feathers and to inquire why their once-bountiful fountain, known for its glittering streams of silver and gold, has run dry. The girl, feigning sleep, elicits the answer from the ogre: a serpent slumbers tightly coiled around a gem at the fountain's depths, obstructing the flow. To restore its fortune, the noblemen must crush the serpent's head with the gem. As the girl and the brave man return, they deliver this wisdom to the noblemen, who promptly act, restoring the fountain's lavish stream of silver and gold, reviving its majestic splendor.
