Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book LXXIII: Our Lady of the North

Hard by a great forest dwelt a wood-cutter with his wife, who had anonly child, a little girl three years old. They were so poor,however, that they no longer had daily bread, and did not know how toget food for her. One morning the wood-cutter went out sorrowfullyto his work in the forest, and while he was cutting wood, suddenlythere stood before him a tall and beautiful woman with a crown ofshining stars on her head, who said to him 'I am the virgin mary,mother of the child jesus. You are poor and needy, bring your childto me, I will take her with me and be her mother, and care for her.'The wood-cutter obeyed, brought his child, and gave her to the virginmary, who took her up to heaven with her. There the child faredwell, ate sugar-cakes, and drank sweet milk, and her clothes were ofgold, and the little angels played with her. And when she wasfourteen years of age, the virgin mary called her one day and said'dear child, I am about to make a long journey, so take into yourkeeping the keys of the thirteen doors of heaven. Twelve of theseyou may open, and behold the glory which is within them, but thethirteenth, to which this little key belongs, is forbidden you. Takecare not to open it, or you will be unhappy.' The girl promised to beobedient, and when the virgin mary was gone, she began to examine thedwellings of the kingdom of heaven. Each day she opened one of them,until she had made the round of the twelve. In each of them sat oneof the apostles in the midst of a great light, and she rejoiced inall the magnificence and splendor, and the little angels who alwaysaccompanied her rejoiced with her. Then the forbidden door aloneremained, and she felt a great desire to know what could be hiddenbehind it, and said to the angels 'I will not open it entirely, and Iwill not go inside, but I will unlock it so that we can see just alittle through the opening.' 'Oh'no, said the little angels, 'thatwould be a sin. The virgin mary has forbidden it, and it mighteasily cause your unhappiness.' Then she was silent, but the desirein her heart was not stilled, but gnawed there and tormented her, andlet her have no rest. And once when the angels had all gone out, shethought 'now I am quite alone, and I could peep in. If I do, no onewill ever know.' She sought out the key, and when she had got it inher hand, she put it in the lock, and when she had put it in, sheturned it round as well. Then the door sprang open, and she sawthere the trinity sitting in fire and splendor. She stayed thereawhile, and looked at everything in amazement, then she touched thelight a little with her finger, and her finger became quite golden.Immediately a great fear fell on her. She shut the door violently,and ran hi there. But her terror would not quit her, let her do what she'Yes, said the girl, for the second time. Then she perceived thefinger which had become golden from touching the fire of heaven, andsaw well that the child had sinned, and said for the third time 'haveyou not done it.' 'No, said the girl for the third time. Then saidthe virgin mary 'you have not obeyed me, and besides that you havelied, you are no longer worthy to be in heaven.' Then the girl fellinto a deep sleep, and when she awoke she lay on the earth below, andin the midst of a wilderness. She wanted to cry out, but she couldbring forth no sound. She sprang up and wanted to run away, butwhithersoever she turned herself, she was continually held back bythick hedges of thorns through which she could not break. In thedesert, in which she was imprisoned, there stood an old hollow tree,and this had to be her dwelling-place. Into this she crept whennight came, and here she slept. Here, too, she found a shelter frommight, and her heart beat continually and would not be still, the gold toostayed on her finger, and would not go away, let her rub it and wash itnever so much. It was not long before the virgin mary came back from herjourney. She called the girl before her, and asked to have the keys ofheaven back. When the maiden gave her the bunch, the virgin looked intoher eyes and said 'have you not opened the thirteenth door also.' 'No, shereplied. Then she laid her hand on the girl's heart, and felt how it beatand beat, and saw right well that she had disobeyed her order and hadopened the door. Then she said once again 'are you certain that you havenot done it.'storm and rain, but it was a miserable life, and bitterly did sheweep when she remembered how happy she had been in heaven, and howthe angels had played with her. Roots and wild berries were her onlyfood, and for these she sought as far as she could go. In the autumnshe picked up the fallen nuts and leaves, and carried them into thehole. The nuts were her food in winter, and when snow and ice came,she crept amongst the leaves like a poor little animal that she mightnot freeze. Before long her clothes were all torn, and one bit ofthem after another fell off her. As soon, however, as the sun shonewarm again, she went out and sat in front of the tree, and her longhair covered her on all sides like a mantle. Thus she sat year afteryear, and felt the pain and the misery of the world. One day, whenthe trees were once more clothed in fresh green, the king of thecountry was hunting in the forest, and followed a roe, and as it hadfled into the thicket which shut in this part of the forest, he gotoff his horse, tore the bushes asunder, and cut himself a path withhis sword. When he had at last forced his way through, he saw awonderfully beautiful maiden sitting under the tree, and she satthere and was entirely covered with her golden hair down to her veryfeet. He stood still and looked at her full of surprise, then hespoke to her and said 'who are you. Why are you sitting here in thewilderness.' But she gave no answer, for she could not open hermouth. The king continued 'will you go with me to my castle. Thenshe just nodded her head a little. The king took her in his arms,carried her to his horse, and rode home with her, and when he reachedthe royal castle he caused her to be dressed in beautiful garments,and gave her all things in abundance. Although she could not speak,she was still so beautiful and charming that he began to love herwith all his heart, and it was not long before he married her. Aftera year or so had passed, the queen brought a son into the world.Thereupon the virgin mary appeared to her in the night when she layin her bed alone, and said 'if you will tell the truth and confessthat you did unlock the forbidden door, I will open your mouth andgive you back your speech, but if you persevere in your sin, and denyobstinately, I will take your new-born child away with me.' The thequeen was permitted to answer, but she remained hard, and said 'no, Idid not open the forbidden door, and the virgin mary took thenew-born child from her arms, and vanished with it. Next morningwhen the child was not to be found, it was whispered among the peoplethat the queen was a man-eater, and had put her own child to death.She heard all this and could say nothing to the contrary, but theking would not believe it, for he loved her so much. When a year hadgone by the queen again bore a son, and in the night the virgin maryagain came to her, and said 'if you will confess that you opened theforbidden door, I will give you your child back and untie your tonguebut if you continue in sin and deny it, I will take away with me thisnew child also.' Then the queen again said 'no, I did not open theforbidden door.' And the virgin took the child out of her arms, andaway with her to heaven. Next morning, when this child also haddisappeared, the people declared quite loudly that the queen haddevoured it, and the king's councillors demanded that she should bebrought to justice. The king however, loved her so dearly that hewould not believe it, and commanded the councillors under pain ofdeath not to say any more about it. The following year the queen gavebirth to a beautiful little daughter, and for the third time thevirgin mary appeared to her in the night and said 'follow me.' Shetook the queen by the hand and led her to heaven, and showed herthere her two eldest children, who smiled at her, and were playingwith the ball of the world. When the queen rejoiced thereat, thevirgin mary said 'is your heart not yet softened. If you will ownthat you opened the forbidden door, I will give you back your twolittle sons.' But for the third time the queen answered 'no, I didnot open the forbidden door.' Then the virgin let her sink down toearth once more, and took from her likewise her third child.Next morning, when the loss was reported abroad, all the people criedloudly 'the queen is a man-eater. She must be judged, and the kingwas no longer able to restrain his councillors. Thereupon a trial washeld, and as she could not answer, and defend herself, she wascondemned to be burnt at the stake. The wood was got together, andwhen she was fast bound to the stake, and the fire began to burnround about her, the hard ice of pride melted, her heart was moved byrepentance, and she thought 'if I could but confess before my deaththat I opened the door.' Then her voice came back to her, and shecried out loudly 'yes, mary, I did it, and straight-way rain fellfrom the sky and extinguished the flames of fire, and a light brokeforth above her, and the virgin mary descended with the two littlesons by her side, and the new-born daughter in her arms. She spokekindly to her, and said 'he who repents his sin and acknowledges it,is forgiven.' Then she gave her the three children, untied hertongue, and granted her happiness for her whole life.