Soon she came to the river, and saw the boat lying there.Page 270
Soon she came to the river, and saw the boat lying there.Page 270
Soon she came to the river, and saw the boat lying there.Page 270
Soon after she came to the other side of the river and stepped out from the boat; there she saw before her a palace more beautiful than any she had ever beheld except the one where she had lived in joy with Eros. But before the gateway stood the three-headed dog Cerberus, and his appearance was very terrible, and his barkings so loud and fierce that Psyche trembled.
Then she threw to him one of the pieces of bread soaked in honey, and at once he was silent and allowed her to pass by him and enter the palace.
There within the palace everything was very beautiful, but the most beautiful thing in it was Persephone. She made Psyche welcome, and soft cushions were given her to rest on, and a magnificent feast was set before her. Psyche looked at it with longing.
“Eat, my child,” said Persephone, “for your journey has been long, and this food and drink will refresh you.” But Psyche refused.
Then at last Persephone said, “I know why you have come,—that it is to carry back withyou a portion of my beauty. Give me the box you brought with you.”
Half doubting her, Psyche gave her the box and Persephone took it and went away; but soon she returned again and gave the box back into Psyche’s hands.
“Take it,” said Persephone. “Well and wisely hast thou performed thy task. Now return to Aphrodite and give her the box, for in it is the beauty for which she sent thee.”
Then Psyche, still in silence, took the box, and hastened away from the castle and returned the way she had come. When Cerberus raised his dreadful barking, she threw him the other piece of bread, and he was silent and allowed her once more to pass in safety.
Soon she came again to the river, and found the dark boatman waiting, and she entered his boat, and he took from her the second piece of money and rowed her back to the other side.
There Psyche left him and followed in haste along the path that led to the upper world and sunlight, but on the way she was weary and sat down to rest. Then she looked at thebox she carried, and more and more she longed to see the gift of beauty that Persephone had sent to Aphrodite. At last her curiosity grew so great that it was like a fire burning her, and she could bear it no longer, but opened the box and looked inside.
Then at once the beauty that was in it rose like a pale mist and hovered over Psyche’s head, and she fell into a deep slumber.
Now indeed the wrath of Aphrodite would have destroyed her as she lay there helpless, had not Eros come to her to protect and save her. For he was now cured of his wound, and his love for Psyche had returned, and his pain and the anger he had felt toward her were forgotten. So he came to where she lay, and caught her up, and carried her to Zeus, who reigns high on Olympus. And Eros entreated Zeus to protect Psyche from the anger of his mother and to make her also a goddess, so that she need no longer fear Aphrodite.
To this Zeus consented, and he touched Psyche, and woke her from her sleep, and made of her a goddess.
Then she was made welcome by all the other gods and goddesses, and Aphrodite was obliged to give up her anger, for it is the will of Zeus that there shall be peace among all those who dwell on high Olympus.
After that a great marriage feast was prepared in honor of Eros and Psyche, and to it came all the gods and goddesses, and drank and feasted. Then Eros took his bride away to a palace that Zeus had given them, and which was even more magnificent than the one where Eros had first carried Psyche; and there they lived together in great joy and happiness.
But Psyche’s two sisters were punished as they deserved, for Eros appeared to each one of them in a dream and promised that if she would go to the top of a high cliff and throw herself over, then he would take her as a wife in place of Psyche. Each of them believed her dream, and each secretly, and unknown to the other, went to the cliff and threw herself over, and so perished miserably.
But Psyche lived happy forever after in the palace in high Olympus with her husband Eros.
Fairy Tales from Old Worlds Across the Sea
TALES OF FOLK AND FAIRIES
TALES OF FOLK AND FAIRIES
ByKATHARINE PYLE
Author of
“Wonder Tales Retold,” “In the Green Forest,” etc.
With Illustrations by the author.
From the old worlds across the seas come these fairy tales,—from Scotland and Scandinavia, from the Cossacks and the Russians and the Serbians, from Persia and India and Arabia and Bengal. There are stories of enchanted princes and bewitched princesses, of brave deeds and clever ones, of wonderful things like talking eggs and a magic pipe and a carpet that flew and a turban that made its wearer invisible. There are tales for boys, like that one of the brave lad who killed the “Stoorworm”; there are stories for girls, as that one about the wise girl who could guess the hardest riddle the King could ask. And there are stories about animals and birds for both boys and girls, such as “The Jackal and the Alligator” and the story of the beautiful black horse that befriended the widow’s son.
They have all been translated directly from the folk-lore of these far-away countries and tell of the wonderful things that used to happen there commonly enough when the world was young and people had not lost their faith in witches and enchantments. American children will enjoy them quite as much as do their little cousins across the water.
LITTLE, BROWN & CO.,Publishers34 Beacon Street, Boston
Fifteen old-world fairy tales, taken from the folk-lore of a dozen different lands
TALES OF WONDER AND MAGIC
TALES OF WONDER AND MAGIC
ByKATHARINE PYLE
Author of
“Wonder Tales Retold,” “In the Green Forest,” “Tales of Folk and Fairies,” etc.
With illustrations by the author.
12 mo.Cloth.314 pages
This volume of fairy tales includes stories from Ireland, Wales, Japan, the East Indies, Sweden, Denmark, etc. They tell of enchanted princes and princesses, of brave and wonderful deeds, of magic worked by evil demons and overcome by the greater power of good spirits.
Sometimes there is a beautiful princess to be rescued; sometimes a fortune to be won; sometimes a hard task to be performed,—an impossible feat for ordinary lads and lassies. But in fairy tales nothing is impossible to youth and beauty and courage, so these shepherd lads and princesses, kings’ sons and peasant maidens set forth on their wonderful adventures with brave hearts, and always win through to safety. They are the sort of stories to enthrall the young folk of to-day.
LITTLE, BROWN & CO.,Publishers34 Beacon Street, Boston