“Sweetheart Roland”
A witch had two daughters, one ugly and
evil and one beautiful and good. She hated the good daughter because she was
only a step-daughter.
One day, the good daughter put on an apron
that the evil daughter wanted. The evil daughter complained to the witch who
decided it was time to kill the good daughter. She told the evil one to make
the good daughter sleep on the outside of the bed that night, and the witch
would chop her head off in the middle of the night.
The good daughter overheard this, and that
night – after the evil daughter went to sleep – she put the evil daughter on
the outside of the bed. The witch came and cut off her head with an axe.
The good daughter then slipped out of the
house to her sweetheart Roland. Roland told her that she should take the
witch’s wand, so she couldn’t catch them. So the good daughter went back and
grabbed the wand. She also grabbed the head of her evil step sister and dropped
a drop of blood on the steps, in the kitchen, and by the bed. She then went
back to Roland.
When the witch woke, she called out to her
daughter and heard the blood drops answer. But she couldn’t see her, until she
got to the bed and saw that she had killed her own daughter in the night. The
witch was furious, but was able to see the daughter and Roland escaping. So she
put on these magic boots that walked an hour for every stride and set out after
them.
When they saw the witch coming to them,
the daughter used the wand to change Roland into a lake and herself into a
duck. When the witch arrived, she threw bread crumbs to get the duck to come
near her, but she stayed away. At night she went back home and Roland and the
girl continued their flight.
The next day the witch again caught up to
them. This time, the girl changed herself into a flower in a hedge of thorns
and Roland into a fiddle player. When the witch tried to pluck the flower,
Roland played his fiddle and the witch had to dance. He kept playing until the
thorns scratched her to death.
Roland went home to plan the wedding,
while the girl changed herself into a milestone to wait. But when Roland
reached home, he fell in with another woman and forgot the girl. The girl
waited, but eventually grew depressed so she changed herself into a flower in
the hope someone would step on her.
But a shepherd found the flower and took
it home. After that, his house was cleaned and his meals cooked by some unseen
thing. He liked it, but it left him a bit uneasy. He talked to a wise woman who
told him it was magic and if got up early he should see something doing the
work. If he threw a white cloth over whatever it was, the spell would be
broken. So he did that and the flower turned back into the girl. The shepherd
asked her to marry him, but she still loved Roland. But she promised to stay
and look after his house.
Eventually, Roland was to marry the other
woman and all the girls in the countryside were to sing a song for them. When
it came time for the girl to sing, Roland’s enchantment with the other woman
ended and he went back to the good daughter.
#
So putting on an apron was the final straw
that made the witch realize she should kill the good daughter? I’d say that’s
unreasonable, but I’ve heard stories of people being shot over the last slice
of pizza.
So instead of the witch calling out to her
evil daughter that her good step sister was dead so they could celebrate, she
just goes back to sleep? Yes, they’re
evil, but do you really want to chop off someone’s head while they are in
bed? Wouldn’t it be a hassle to wash all
that blood out of the sheets? Or are
they so evil that they don’t care? But
then why care about an apron?
Oh, there were only three blood
drops. What?
Talking blood drops? I know the witch was
going to kill the good daughter (who never received a name), but instead of
just running away she tricks the witch into killing her own daughter. The
morality of that is questionable. But then, doesn’t the talking blood drops just
rub it in?
Was the witch afraid of the dark that she
had to go back home?
Don’t tell anybody, but I think bits of
this tale were plagiarized. See “The Foundling Bird” and “The Jew Among Thorns”
So why did the girl have to stay in the
field and couldn’t go home to plan the wedding?
Roland doesn’t sound like such a
sweetheart, does he?
The girl has a magic wand, but the only
way she can think of to die is to change herself into a flower and hope someone
steps on her? Really?
How did a flower cook the meals? I guess
it was just magic.
So the girl still loves the guy who left
her in a field as a milestone and won’t marry the guy she’s been cooking and
cleaning for? Bitch be crazy.
#
As I mentioned in my introductory post, I
had already reviewed a bunch of stories on another site that imploded. “Sweetheart Roland” was the last story I had
reviewed, so up until now all these reviews have just been revised
versions. Starting next week, I’ll have
to put new stuff out. Just my luck the
next several stories are long ones.
No comments:
Post a Comment