Telling Stories Around The World

The Golden Medal (Tale from Egypt)

"We all love buying material things and own them because somehow they full our life, make us a little happier and we always look for more. Sometimes, we forget that the simplest things worth much more; I'd rather say that they are priceless. This old story from Egypt will tell us that when we uncover our eyes, we will see the essential." 

Legend tells us that it existed a pharaoh many millenia ago who reigned in the middle of a great desert. He was an elegant and good-looking man and his most prized possession was the gold.

Such was the gold he possessed that he decided to built a big palace to house people who would come to visit him from different parts of the world.

When the building of the fortress was finished, the pharaoh arranged to give a celebration in honor to his colosal dwelling so he ordered his scribes to prepare invitation cards which were going to be sent out to different parts later.

The cards arrived at the furthest and most unkown places of the earth.

The day of the party, the sovereign waited for his guests at the gates of his new home. They were welcomed with glamorous banners and warm greeting. Many people had attended; princes, dukes, queens and nobles. Once they all were inside, the great banquet began.

After the magnificent dinner, people proceed to hand the presents for the monarch. The first present was a beautiful diamond brought from the mountains realm. The second one was a bracelet made up of silver and sea shells. The king was fascinated. He loved this entertainment but when the third present was about to be given, the gates of the saloon opened wide and a girl appeared. She seemed to hold something in hands.

Astonished by the beauty of the young lady, the pharaoh greeted her heartily. The unexpected guest got on her knees, revered him and went on giving the third offering; a wet stone covered with moss.

On seeing this, the governor got angry and asked its carrier for the explanation why she had brought such a dirty thing and the woman replied.

-I understand why you are angry, my majesty. I know that this little rock doesn't reach the standard of all this luxury but this ugly thing is just what your eyes see. With this, I wanted to represent my humble heart. As you can see, this is more valuable than any wealth and kingdom together. It can serve you well as long as you provide love-

When listening to those words, the king fell in love with the maid. He offered her to stay in his castle in which he would give her luxuries, delicacies and much more but she only said.

-I will come back when you learn to see with your heart- and she walked away from the place she entered.

The pharaoh kept that stone and commanded his troops to look for the girl.

The days went on by and nothing was known about her.

Tired of waiting and trying to decode the riddle, The emperor decided to continue the search on his own since he was the one who knew best the desert. He mounted his camel and faded away in the distance. He moved away from all his wellness.

The suns and the moons passed and he couldn't find her.

One night, exhausted, he picked up some wood to prepare a campfire and lay down next to his fellow traveller while he observed the piece of rock.

He didn't know what to do or what to think of. So he threw the stone to the fire and in that moment, the object started cracking until it broke and a light illuminated the place. The pharaoh removed it from the flames so that it could get cold. When he took it, he realized that it was a golden medal; a medal of pure gold. That was when the great patriarch understood the meaning. He had to leave haughtiness aside to pay attention to what really mattered, the love in the simple things.

Suddenly, under the moonlight, a figure of a womam emerged. It was her, the girl he longed to find.

-Well done my king. You have unveiled the mystery. You have seen beyond superficiality. Now I will share my heart with yours for eternity- said the lady.

The brave monarch could get married to his beloved and he didn't care about the richness any longer because he had everything and it was holding his hand.