The Bronze Ring

Once upon a time there lived a king whose palace was surrounded by a big garden. But no matter how many gardeners worked there, the garden would not grow any flowers or fruits, not even grass or shady trees.

The king was very sad about this until a wise old man said to him: “Your gardeners don’t know their job. But what can you expect from men whose fathers were shoemakers and carpenters? How could they have learned to take care of a garden?”

“You are right,” said the king.

“So,” said the old man, “you should find a gardener whose father and grandfather were gardeners before him. Then your garden will soon be full of green grass, pretty flowers, and delicious fruit.”

So the king sent messengers to every town, village, and tiny hamlet in his kingdom to look for a gardener whose ancestors had also been gardeners. After forty days they found one.

“Come with us and be the king’s gardener,” they said.

“How can I go to the king?” said the gardener. “I am only a poor man.”

“That doesn’t matter,” they answered. “Here are new clothes for you and your family.”

“But I owe money to many people.”

“We will pay your debts,” they said.

So the gardener agreed and went with the messengers, taking his wife and his son. The king was very happy to have a real gardener and put him in charge of the garden. The man had no trouble making the royal garden bloom, and after a year the park was completely changed. The king gave his new servant many gifts.

The gardener had a son who was very handsome and had the nicest manners. Every day he brought the best fruit to the king and the prettiest flowers to the princess. The princess was wonderfully pretty and had just turned sixteen. The king thought it was time for her to marry.

“My dear child,” he said, “you are old enough to take a husband. I am thinking of marrying you to the son of my prime minister.”

“Father,” said the princess, “I will never marry the minister’s son.”

“Why not?” asked the king.

“Because I love the gardener’s son,” she answered.

At first the king was very angry. He wept and sighed and said the gardener’s son was not worthy of his daughter. But the princess would not change her mind.

Then the king asked his ministers for advice. “This is what you must do,” they said. “Send both young men to a faraway country. The one who returns first shall marry your daughter.”

The king agreed. The minister’s son got a beautiful horse and a purse full of gold. The gardener’s son got an old lame horse and a purse full of copper coins. Everyone thought he would never come back.

The day before they left, the princess met her love and said: “Be brave and remember that I love you. Take this purse full of jewels and use them well for love of me. Come back quickly and ask for my hand.”

The two young men left town together. The minister’s son galloped away on his good horse and soon disappeared behind the hills. He traveled for several days until he came to a fountain where an old woman in rags sat on a stone.

“Good day to you, young traveler,” she said.

But the minister’s son did not answer.

“Have pity on me,” she said again. “I am dying of hunger. I have been here for three days and no one has given me anything.”

“Leave me alone, old witch!” he cried. “I can’t help you,” and he rode on.

That same evening the gardener’s son came to the fountain on his lame gray horse.

“Good day to you, young traveler,” said the beggar woman.

“Good day, good woman,” he answered.

“Young traveler, have pity on me.”

“Take my purse,” he said. “And climb up behind me, for your legs must be weak.”

The old woman did not wait to be asked twice. She got on behind him, and they rode to the main city of a powerful kingdom. The minister’s son stayed at a fine inn. The gardener’s son and the old woman stopped at the beggars’ inn.

The next day the gardener’s son heard a loud noise in the street. The king’s heralds were blowing trumpets and shouting: “Our king is old and sick. He will give a great reward to anyone who can cure him and make him young again.”

Then the old beggar woman said to him: “This is what you must do to get the reward the king promises. Go out of the city through the south gate. There you will find three little dogs of different colors: the first white, the second black, the third red.

You must kill them and burn them separately. Gather up the ashes and put each color into a bag of the same color. Then go to the palace door and shout: ‘A famous doctor has come from Janina in Albania.

He alone can cure the king and restore his youth.’ The king’s doctors will say you are a fake, but you will overcome them and see the king. Then ask for as much wood as three mules can carry and a big cauldron. Shut yourself in a room with the sultan.

When the cauldron boils, throw him in and leave him until his flesh separates from his bones. Then arrange the bones properly and sprinkle the ashes from the three bags over them. The king will come back to life and be as young as twenty.

For your reward you must demand the bronze ring, which can give you anything you wish. Go, my son, and do not forget any of my instructions.”

The young man did exactly as the old woman said. He went out of the town and found the white, red, and black dogs. He killed and burned them and gathered the ashes into three bags. Then he ran to the palace and shouted: “A famous doctor has come from Janina in Albania. He alone can cure the king and make him young again!”

The king’s doctors laughed at first, but the sultan ordered the stranger to be let in. They brought the cauldron and the wood, and soon the king was boiling. At midday the gardener’s son arranged the bones and sprinkled the ashes over them. Immediately the old king woke up, young and strong.

“How can I reward you?” cried the king. “Will you take half my treasure?”

“No,” said the gardener’s son.

“My daughter’s hand?”

“No.”

“Half my kingdom?”

“No. Just give me the bronze ring that can grant any wish.”

“Alas!” said the king. “I treasure that ring, but you shall have it.” And he gave it to him.

The gardener’s son went to say goodbye to the old beggar woman. Then he said to the bronze ring: “Prepare a splendid ship for me. Let the hull be of fine gold, the masts of silver, the sails of brocade. Let the crew be twelve handsome young men dressed like kings, with St. Nicholas at the helm. Let the cargo be diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and carbuncles.”

Immediately a ship appeared that looked exactly as he had described. He stepped on board and continued his journey. Soon he reached a big city and settled in a wonderful palace. After several days he met his rival, the minister’s son, who had spent all his money and now had a dirty job carrying dust and rubbish. The gardener’s son said: “What is your name? Where do you come from?”

“I am the son of the prime minister of a great nation, yet look what I have to do!”

“Listen,” said the gardener’s son. “I don’t know you, but I am willing to help. I will give you a ship to take you home, on one condition.”

“Whatever it is, I accept.”

“Follow me to my palace.”

The minister’s son followed the rich stranger without recognizing him. At the palace, the master ordered his slaves to undress the newcomer. “Heat this ring red-hot,” he commanded, “and brand the man on his back.”

The slaves obeyed. “Now, young man,” said the rich stranger, “I will give you a ship to take you home.” Then he went outside and said to the bronze ring: “Bronze ring, obey your master. Prepare a ship with half-rotten black timbers, ragged sails, and sickly sailors—some missing a leg, some an arm, some hunchbacked, lame, club-footed, or blind. Let them be ugly and scarred. Let my orders be carried out.”

So the minister’s son sailed away in that old ship. Thanks to fair winds, he reached his own country. Even though he looked pitiful, they were happy to see him. “I am the first to return,” he told the king. “Keep your promise and give me the princess.”

So they began preparing the wedding. The poor princess was very sad and angry.

The next morning at dawn, a wonderful ship with all sails set anchored in front of the town. The king happened to be at the window. “What strange ship is that?” he cried. “It has a golden hull, silver masts, and silken sails. And the young men on it look like princes! And is that St. Nicholas at the helm? Go and invite the captain to come to the palace.”

The servants obeyed, and soon a handsome young prince entered, dressed in rich silk with pearls and diamonds.

“Young man,” said the king, “you are welcome. Please be my guest while you are in my capital.”

“Thank you, sire,” said the captain. “I accept.”

“My daughter is about to be married,” said the king. “Will you give her away?”

“I would be honored, sire.”

Soon the princess and her betrothed arrived. “Why,” cried the captain, “would you marry this lovely princess to a man like that?”

“But he is the son of my prime minister!”

“What does that matter? I cannot give your daughter away. Her betrothed is one of my servants.”

“Your servant?”

“Yes. I met him in a distant city, carrying dust and rubbish. I took pity on him and hired him.”

“Impossible!” said the king.

“Do you want proof? He returned in a ship I gave him—a rotten black ship with crippled sailors.”

“That is true,” said the king.

“It is a lie!” cried the minister’s son. “I don’t know this man!”

“Sire,” said the captain, “order your daughter’s betrothed to be stripped. You will see the mark of my ring on his back.”

The king was about to give the order when the minister’s son admitted the truth to avoid the shame.

“Now, sire,” said the young captain, “do you not recognize me?”

“I do,” said the princess. “You are the gardener’s son, whom I have always loved. It is you I want to marry.”

“Young man,” cried the king, “you shall be my son-in-law! The wedding celebrations have already started, so you shall marry my daughter today.”

And so that very day the gardener’s son married the beautiful princess.

Months passed. The young couple were very happy, and the king was pleased with his son-in-law. But then the captain had to take a long voyage. He hugged his wife and set sail.

Now on the edge of the city lived an old man who had spent his life studying black arts—alchemy, astrology, and magic. He found out that the gardener’s son had married the princess with the help of the genies that obeyed the bronze ring.

“I will get that ring,” he said. So he went to the seashore and caught some pretty little red fish. Then he walked in front of the princess’s window and shouted: “Who wants pretty little red fish?”

The princess heard him and sent a servant. “What do you want for your fish?” asked the servant.

“A bronze ring.”

“A bronze ring, you fool? Where can I find one?”

“Under the cushion in the princess’s room.”

The servant went back. “The old man won’t take gold or silver,” she said.

“What does he want?”

“A bronze ring hidden under a cushion.”

“Find the ring and give it to him,” said the princess.

So the servant found the bronze ring that the captain had accidentally left behind and gave it to the old man, who quickly left.

As soon as he reached home, he said: “Bronze ring, obey your master. I wish the golden ship to turn into black wood, the crew into ugly negroes, St. Nicholas to leave the helm, and the only cargo to be black cats.”

The genies obeyed.

When the young captain found himself at sea in that terrible condition, he understood someone had stolen the ring. He was very sad. “Whoever took my ring probably took my wife too. Why should I go home?” he thought. He sailed from island to island, and soon he and his crew and the black cats had nothing to eat but herbs and roots.

After a long time he reached an island full of mice. The captain landed and explored. There were mice everywhere. Some black cats followed him, and because they were very hungry, they attacked the mice.

Then the queen of the mice held a council. “These cats will eat us all unless the captain shuts them up. Let’s send our bravest mice to him.”

Several mice went to the captain. “Captain, please leave our island quickly, or we will all die.”

“I will,” said the captain, “on one condition. You must first find a bronze ring that a sorcerer stole from me. If you don’t, I will let my cats loose and you will all be killed.”

The mice were very worried. “What shall we do?” said the queen. “How can we find that ring?” She called a council with mice from all over the world, but no one knew where the ring was.

Suddenly three mice arrived from a faraway country. One was blind, the second lame, and the third had her ears cut off.

“Ho, ho, ho!” they said. “We come from a very distant land.”

“Do you know where the bronze ring is?”

“Ho, ho, ho! Yes. An old sorcerer has it. He keeps it in his pocket during the day and in his mouth at night.”

“Go and take it from him, and come back as soon as possible.”

So the three mice made a boat and sailed to the magician’s country. They landed and went to the palace, leaving the blind mouse on the shore to guard the boat. They waited until night. The wicked old man lay down and put the bronze ring in his mouth. Soon he was asleep.

“Now what?” said the two mice.

The mouse with the cropped ears found a lamp full of oil and a bottle full of pepper. She dipped her tail first in oil, then in pepper, and held it to the sorcerer’s nose.

“Atishoo! Atishoo!” sneezed the old man, but he did not wake. The sneeze made the bronze ring jump out of his mouth. Quick as a flash, the lame mouse grabbed the precious ring and ran to the boat.

Imagine how angry the magician was when he woke and the ring was gone!

But by then the three mice had sailed away. A fair wind was blowing them toward the mouse island. They began to argue about who deserved the most credit.

“I do,” said the blind mouse. “Without my watchfulness, our boat would have drifted away.”

“No,” said the mouse with the cropped ears. “I made the ring jump out of his mouth.”

“No,” said the lame mouse, “I ran off with it.”

They started to fight, and in the struggle the bronze ring fell into the sea.

“How can we face our queen now?” they cried. “We have lost the ring, and our people will be killed. We cannot go back. Let’s land on this desert island and end our lives.” So they did.

The blind mouse was soon left alone when the other two went to hunt flies. As she sadly walked along the shore, she found a dead fish and began to eat it. She bit something hard. She cried out, and the other two mice ran over.

“It’s the bronze ring! It’s the talisman!” they shouted joyfully. They got back into their boat and soon reached the mouse island. It was just in time, because the captain was about to release his cats. A group of mice brought him the precious ring.

“Bronze ring, obey your master,” commanded the young man. “Let my ship be as it was before.”

Immediately the genies worked, and the old black ship became the wonderful golden ship with brocade sails. The handsome sailors climbed the silver masts, and soon they sailed toward the capital.

How happily the sailors sang as they flew over the smooth sea!

At last they reached the port. The captain ran to the palace, where he found the wicked old man asleep. The princess hugged her husband tightly. The magician tried to escape but was caught and tied up with strong ropes.

The next day the sorcerer was tied to the tail of a savage mule loaded with nuts. He was broken into as many pieces as there were nuts on the mule’s back.

And the gardener’s son and the princess lived happily ever after.