SPANISH FAIRYTALES

TRADITION & ROOTS

The No Return Castle

There was a fisherman who haven’t caught anything for a long, long time. Every day he used to sail with his boat and his fishing rod , and every day he came back home with his hands empty. His wife was desperate for suffering calamity, and she suggested him that he should change his job.

-Tomorrow I will go there the last time and I promise to do my best- said the fisherman.

He sailed further away what he used to and when he pulled of his fishing rod, he couldn´t manage it.«And now, what happen? -he said to himself- Besides that my fish hook is getting a mess and I am going to lose it».But he continued pulling out and pulling out, and finally he realized that he had caught a huge fish.

Suddenly the man got scared, but the enormous fish started to talk to him: - Don´t be afraid and let me go. The fisherman let the fish

alive and he told his wife everything what had happened. - His wife claimed: for once you got lucky, did you let it go?!

Tomorrow you will sail to the same place.

If you catch the fish don’t let it go and bring it with you. That happened again and the giant fish told him one more time: - Let me go and you will be happy.-I can’t do that brother, you don´t know my wife…-All right!- said the fish resigned.- but you don´t eat from my meat and share out my body on this way: my body for your wife; my head for your female dog; my tail for your mare and bury my bones in the chicken yard.

The fisherman fulfilled with those orders and two months later his wife gave birth two blonde twins; his female dog gave birth two blonde mastiffs; his mare gave also birth two blonde colts; and from the chicken yard grew up two golden lances.

When twins grew up they became two handsome lads. One day they decided to talk with their parents because they wanted to find adventures far away from home. The first born wen out from home and his father gave him a horse, a lance and one of the mastiffs. Then he showed him a bottle with magic water and he explained him:

-Do you see this little bottle? When this water will get turbid, If something was happening to you then your brother would go out to help you.

With that support the young knight goes to live adventures for all over the world. After a long walking the young arrived to a village where all the women were crying, then he asked them:- What’s going on here? Why are you crying on that

mournful way?

- Well, because every year a female lad is raffled for being taken by the Seven Head Snake. This year the king´s daughter has been the unfortunate…She is so pretty! There is no salvation possible!

-Why not? -claim the youth- Tell me where this vermin nests, I will do the rest.- Don´t say that! Will you be able to do it? You should know that our king has promised a great award and the hand of his daughter for that one who free the princess.

- Don’t waste more time ! Where is its cave?- said the young knight. Immediately they left him near to a leafy forest. The king´s daughter was hold in a tree, and the interest of the lad increased when he saw her.-Go away!-shouted the princess- The snake is coming and it would also devour you!

Some minutes later the snake appeared shouting and shaking its frightening seven heads. The youth shouted:-Here my mastiff, my lance and my horse!

The dog began to bite the heads, while he attacked whit his horse and his lance to the body of the beast. He gave a lance into the heart and killed it. He freed the princess and immediately he took her together with her father. The bell sounded and people shouted of happiness.

The young knight, meanwhile, cut with his knife the seven tongues from the seven heads, and he kept them in a handkerchief.

A coalman who crossed over there cut the seven heads and he went to the king´s palace saying that he was the savior of the princess. The king believed his version because he was watching the seven heads in front of him, so he ordered the preparations for the wedding. Then the youth arrived and he asked for an audience.

His Majesty, have you ever seen heads with no tongues?They checked that those heads didn’t have them. Then the young knight showed the seven tongues.

- Capture this coalman ! He wanted to lie to me -shout the king-….and put him in dungeon.

A short time later the wedding between the blonde knight and the princess were celebrated along some days.One morning they were walking throughout the palace and he asked:

- What is that which I see in the distance?- Don´t say anything about it- answered the princess-

That’s The No Return Castle, because every one who goes there never comes back. Don´t think of going!

But the brave youth went out one morning with his horse, his lance and his dog avoiding making any noise to don´t being heard . To avoid this, he put little sacks in his hoof’s horse. Eventually he arrived to the castle.

He knocked on castle’s door using a huge steal shackle and its noise sounded as a deep water well. An old sorcerer woman said to him:-Who loves you so bad for sending to you here?-My lucky, bad or good- answer the lad- Let me in!

-All right! But you should leave your horse outside.-But…how I could tie it?-With this thread from my head- The elderly woman pulled out a hair and when she touched it, this became a rope.

When that rope was touched by the knight, him, his dog and his horse became marble stones. Then the other twin brother watched how the water of the bottle got turbid as their father said.

-I should go father-said. He took the other horse, the other mastiff and the other lance and he left. Walking, walking, he arrived to the king’s palace. The water of the bottle was getting more turbid.-Urra for the prince, he cam back! –villagers shouted, because the twin looked like his brother…..and even the princess believed the same.

But he stood quite and he asked:-What’s that which I see in the distance?-What a bad memory you have, dear! Don’t you remind that I told you last week that it is The No Return Castle?

The lad said nothing. Next morning he left and arrived to the castle…the water of the bottle was absolutely dark.The old sorcerer woman appeared and she also wanted to lie to him. But he threatened her with his lance an she gave his a little pot with a magic unguent.

She spread that unguent over the three marble rocks and instantly the dog,, the blonde horse and his brother reappeared…. and they lived happily ever after…