Folklia - The Warmest Gift for Childhood

Zovanin was a bold boy[1], and never seemed to be afraid of any

thing. When other children were afraid lest Orco [2] should play

them some of his malicious tricks, when people cried out to him,

"Take care, and don't walk in those footprints, they may be those of

Orco!" he would only laugh, and say, "Let Orco come; I should like

to see him!" When he was sent out upon the mountains with the herds,

and had to be alone with them through the dark nights, and his mother

bid him not be afraid, he used to stare at her with his great round

eyes as if he wondered what she meant. If a lamb or a goat strayed

over a difficult precipice, and the neighbours cried out to him,

"Let be; it is not safe to go after it down that steep place," he

would seem to think they were making game of him, and would swing

himself over the steep as firmly and as steadily as if he were merely

bestriding a hedge. He saw people shun passing through the churchyards

by dark, and so he used to make it his habit to sleep every night on

the graves; and as they said they were afraid of being struck blind

if they slept in the moonlight, he would always choose to lie where

the moonbeams fell. Nor thunder, nor avalanche, nor fire, nor flood,

nor storm seemed to have any terror for him; so that at last people

set him to do every kind of thing they were afraid to do themselves,

and he got so much wondered at, that he said, "I will go abroad over

the world, and see if I can find any where this same Fear that I hear

people talk of."

So he went out, and walked along by the most desolate paths and through

frightful stony wildernesses, till he came to a village where there

was a fair going on. Zovanin was too tired to care much for the dance,

so instead of joining it he asked for a bed.

"A bed!" said the host; "that's what I can give you least of all. My

beds are for regular customers, and not for strollers who drop down

from the skies;" for, being full of business at the moment, he was

uppish and haughty, as if his day's prosperity was to last for ever.

While Zovanin was urging that his money was as good as another's, and

the host growing more and more insolent while repeating that he could

not receive him, a terrific shouting of men, and screeching of women

made itself heard, and pell-mell the whole tribe of peasants, pedlars,

and showmen came rushing towards the inn, flying helter-skelter before

a furious and gigantic maniac brandishing a formidable club. Every one

ran for dear life, seeking what shelter they could find. The inn was

filled to overflowing in a trice, and those who could not find entrance

there hid themselves in the stables and pig-styes and cellars. But

no one was in so great a hurry to hide himself as mine host, who had

been so loud with his blustering to a defenceless stranger anon. Only,

when he saw the baffled madman breaking in his doors and windows with

his massive oaken staff, he put his head dolefully out of the topmost

window, and piteously entreated some one to put a stop to the havoc.

Zovanin was not quick-witted: all this noisy scene had been transacted

and it had not yet occurred to him to move from the spot where he

originally stood; in fact, he had hardly apprehended what it was that

was taking place, only at last the host's vehement gesticulations

suggested to him that he wanted the madman arrested.

"Oh, that's it, is it?" said Zovanin. "All right, I'm your man!" and

walking up coolly to the cause of all this disturbance, he said,

in the tone of one who meant to be obeyed, "Give me your club."

The poor imbecile was usually harmless enough; he lived in

an out-of-the-way hut with his family, where he seldom saw a

stranger. They had incautiously brought him up to the fête, where

he had first become excited by the sight of the unwonted number of

people; then some thoughtless youths had further provoked him by

mocking and laughing at him; and when the people ran away in fear of

his retaliation, he had only yielded to a natural impulse in running

after them. But when Zovanin stood before him, fearless and collected,

and said, in his blunt, quiet way, "Give me your club," his habitual

obedience prevailed over the momentary ebullition, and he yielded

himself up peaceably to the guidance of the young giant. Zovanin first

secured the club, and then desired the madman to bestow himself in

an empty shed, of which he closed and made fast the door. When the

landlord and people saw the coast clear they all came out again,

the latter losing no time in going back to their games, the former

to resume his preparations for the entertainment of his guests.

"Well," said Zovanin, "I suppose now you'll make no difficulty in

providing me a bed? I think that's the least you can do for me,

after my befriending you as I have. I have earned it, if any one has."

"What! you think that such a great feat, do you?" said the landlord,

who, deeming the madman well secured, felt no compunction in disowning

Johnny's service. "Do you suppose any other couldn't have said,

'Give me your club,' just as well as you?"

"Perhaps you would like to try," replied our hero; and he went to

unbar the shed-door.

"For heaven's sake, no!" screamed the cowardly landlord, preparing

to run away. "Don't let him loose on any account; I'll do any thing

for you sooner than that!"

"Well, you know what I want; it's not much, and reasonable enough,"

replied Fearless Johnny, relaxing his hold of the door.

"But that's just the one thing I can't do," lamented the host. "My

beds are bespoken to customers who come every year to the fair,

and if I disappoint any of them I'm a ruined man."

"Very well then, here goes!" and Zovanin once more prepared to open

the shed-door.

"Oh, no; stop!" roared the landlord. "Perhaps there is a way,

after all."

"Ah!" ejaculated Johnny; "I thought as much."

"There is a room, in fact a whole suite of rooms, and a magnificent

suite of rooms, I daren't give to any one else, but I think they will

do for you, as you are such a stout-hearted chap."

"Where are they?" said Johnny.

"Do you see that castle on the tip of the high rock yonder, that

looks like an eagle perched for a moment and ready to take flight?"

"I should rather think I did, seeing it's one of the most remarkable

sights I have met with in all my travels."

"Well, that castle was built by a bad giant who lived here in former

times; and he balanced it like that on the tip of the rock, and only

he had the secret of walking into it. If any one else steps into it,

they are pretty sure of stepping on the wrong place, and down will

go the whole castle overbalanced into the abyss. When he was once

inside it, he had an iron chain by which he made it fast to the rock;

and when he went out he used to set it swinging as you see, so that

no one might dare to venture in and take back possession of the

booty which he seized right and left from all the country round. If

you don't mind trying your luck at taking possession of the castle,

you can lodge there like a prince, for there are twelve ghosts, who

come there every night, who will supply you with every thing you can

ask for. So there is all you desire to have, and more, provided only

the idea does not strike you with fear."

"Fear, say you?" said Zovanin, opening his great round eyes; "do you

say I shall find 'Fear' in yonder castle?"

"Most assuredly. Every body finds it in merely listening to the story."

"Then that's what I came out to seek; so show me the way, and there

I will lodge."

The host stared at his crack-brained guest, but, glad to be rid of

his importunity for a night's lodging in the inn, made no delay in

pointing out the path which led to the giant's castle.

Zovanin trudged along it without hesitation, nor was he long in

reaching the precariously balanced edifice. Once before the entrance,

he had little difficulty in seeing what was required in order to take

possession. Just in the centre of the building a large stone stood

up prominently, and though at a great distance from the threshold,

was probably not more than a stride for the giant of old--as a further

token, it was worn away at the edge, evidently where he had stepped

on to it. Zovanin saw it could be reached by a bold spring, and,

having no fear of making a false step, he was able to calculate his

distance without disturbance from nervousness. Having balanced himself

successfully on the stone, he next set himself to fix the chain which

attached his airy castle to the rock, and then made his way through

its various apartments. Every thing was very clean and in good order,

for the twelve ghosts came every night and put all to rights. Zovanin

had hardly finished making his round when in they came, all dressed

in white.

"Bring me a bottle of wine, and some bread and meat, candles and

cards," said Fearless Johnny, just as if he had been giving an order

to the waiter of an inn; for he remembered that the landlord had

said they would supply him, and he felt no fear which should make

him shrink from them.

"I wonder where this same Fear can be?" he said, as the ghosts were

preparing his supper; "I have been pretty well all over the castle

already, and can see nothing of him. Oh, yes! I will just go down

and explore the cellars, perhaps I shall find him down there."

"Yes; go down and choose your wine to your own taste, and you will

find him there, sure enough," said the twelve ghosts.

"Shall I, though?" said John, delighted; and down he went.

The bottles were all in order, labelled with the names of various

choice vintages in such tempting variety that he was puzzled which to

choose. At last, however, he stretched his hand out to reach down a

bottle from a high shelf, when lo and behold a grinning skull showed

itself in the place where the bottle had stood, and asked him how he

dared meddle with the wine! Without being in the least disconcerted

at its horrid appearance, Fearless Johnny passed the bottle into his

left hand, and with his right taking up the skull, flung it over his

shoulder to the farthermost corner of the cellar. He had no sooner

done so, however, than a long bony arm was stretched out from the same

place, and made a grab at the bottle. But Fearless John caught the

arm and flung it after the skull. Immediately another arm appeared,

and was treated in the same way; then came a long, lanky leg, and

tried to kick him on the nose, but Johnny dealt with it as with the

others; then came another leg, which he sent flying into the corner

too; and then the ribs and spine, till all the bones of a skeleton

had severally appeared before him, and had all been cast by him on

to the same shapeless heap.

Now he turned to go, but as he did so a great rattling was heard in

the corner where he had thrown the bones. It was all the bones joining

themselves together and forming themselves into a perfect skeleton,

which came clatter-patter after him up the stairs.

Zovanin neither turned to look at it nor hurried his pace, but walked

straight back, bottle in hand, into the room where the supper was laid

ready, and the pack of cards by the side, as he had ordered. All the

while that he was supping, the skeleton kept up a wild dance round him,

trying to excite him by menacing gestures, but Fearless Johnny munched

his bread and meat and drank his wine, and took no more notice than

of the insects buzzing round the sconces.

When he had done he called to the ghosts in the coolest way imaginable

to clear away the things, and then dealt out the cards, with one hand

for a "dummy" and one for himself. He had no sooner done this than the

skeleton sat down, with a horrid grimace of triumph, and took up the

"dummy's" hand!

"You needn't grin like that," said Johnny; "you may depend on it I

shouldn't have let you take the cards if it hadn't pleased me. If

you know how to play, play on--it is much better fun than playing

both hands oneself. Only, if you don't know how to play, you leave

them alone--and you had better not give me reason to turn you out."

The skeleton, however, understood the game very well, and with

alternate fortune they played and passed away the hours till it was

time to go to bed. Johnny then rose and called the twelve ghosts to

light him up to bed, which they did in gravest order. He had no sooner

laid himself to sleep than, with a great clatter, the skeleton came

in and pulled the bedclothes off him. In a great passion Fearless

Johnny jumped up, and brandishing a chair over his head, threatened

to break every one of his bones if he didn't immediately lay the

clothes straight again. The skeleton had no defence for his bones,

and so could not choose but obey; and Johnny went quietly to bed again.

"It was a pity I didn't ask the poor fellow what ailed him, though,"

said Johnny, when he was once more alone. "Perhaps he too is tormented

by this 'Fear' that every one thinks so much of, and wanted me to

help him. Ah, well, if he comes again I will ask him;" and with that

he rolled himself up in the quilt, and went to sleep again. An hour

had hardly passed before the skeleton came in again, and this time

he shook the bedpost so violently that he woke Johnny with a start.

"Ah! there he is again!" cried Johnny; "now I'll ask him what he

wants;" so he jumped out of bed once more, and addressed the skeleton

solemnly in these words:--

"Anima terrena,

Stammi lontana tre passi,

E raccontami la tua pena [3]!"

Then the skeleton made a sign to him to follow it, and led him down to

the foundations of the castle, where there was a big block of porphyry.

"Heave up that block," said the skeleton.

"Not I!" replied Johnny; "I didn't set it there, and so I'm not going

to take it up."

So the skeleton took up the block itself, and under it lay shining

two immense jars full of gold.

"Take them, and count them out," said the skeleton.

"Not I!" said Johnny; "I didn't heap them up, and so I'm not going

to count them out."

So the skeleton counted them out itself, and they contained ten

thousand gold pieces each.

When it had done, it said, "I am the giant who built this castle. I

have waited here these hundreds of years till one came fearless enough

to do what you have done to-night, and now I am free, because to you

I may give over the castle; so take it, for it is yours, and with it

one of these jars of gold, which is enough to make you rich, but take

the other jar of gold and build a church, and let them pray for me,

and learn to be better men than I."

With that he disappeared, and Fearless Johnny slept quietly for the

rest of the night.

In the morning, when the sun was up, and the birds began to sing

cheerily on the branches, the landlord began to feel some compunction

for having abandoned such a fine young Bursch to a night by himself

among the unquiet spirits; so he summoned all his courage, and all

his servants, and all his neighbours, and, thus prepared, he led the

way up to the haunted castle. Finding that it was firmly fixed by the

chain, they all entered in a body, for none durst be the first; and

the entrance, having been made for the giant, was big enough for all.

Zovanin having had such a disturbed night was still fast asleep, but

their footsteps and anxious whisperings woke him. In answer to all

their questionings he gave an account of what had happened to him, but

still complained that, after all, he had not been able to find Fear!

Zovanin was now a rich man, and had a mighty castle to live in where

he might have ended his days in peace, but he was always possessed

by the desire of finding out what Fear was, and this desire was too

strong to let him rest.

The neighbours, however, told him he might find Fear out hunting;

and many were the hunting-parties he established, and wherever the

wild game was shyest, there he sought it out. Once, as he sprang

over a chasm his horse made a false start, and was plunged into the

abyss, but Fearless Johnny caught at the bough of a birch-tree that

waved over the mountain-side. The branch cracked, and it seemed as

if nothing could save him, but Fearless Johnny only swung himself on

to another on the ledge below, and climbed back by its means to the

path. Another time, as he was pursuing a chamois up a precipitous

track, a great mass of loose rock, detached from the height above,

came thundering down upon him. An ordinary hunter, scared at the sight,

would have given himself up for lost, but Fearless Johnny stood quite

still and let it bound over his head, and he came to no harm.

So he still was unable to find Fear. After some years, therefore,

he once more went abroad to seek it. This time, however, he provided

himself with a fine suit of armour and a prancing charger, and a

noble figure he cut as he ambled forth.

After a long journey, with many adventures, he came one hot day,

as he was very thirsty, to a fountain of water in the outskirts of a

town, and as he dismounted to drink he observed that the whole place

looked sad and deserted; the road was grass-grown, and the houses

seemed neglected and empty. As he went up to the fountain to drink,

a faint voice called to him from the wayside, "Beware, and do it

not! Think you that we all should be lying here dying of thirst if

you could drink at that fountain?"

Then he looked round, and saw that, as far as eye could reach, the

banks of the wayside were covered with dying people heaped up one on

the other, and all gazing towards the fountain!

"Know you not," continued the weary voice, "that a terrible dragon

has taken possession of all the fountains; and that the moment one

goes to drink of them he appears, as though he would eat you up,

so that you are bound to run away for very fear?"

"'Fear!'" cried Zovanin; "is Fear here at last?" and he joyfully ran

to the side of the well.

All the weary, dying people raised themselves as well as they could, to

see what should befall him who was not afraid of the terrible dragon.

But Fearless Johnny went up to the fountain's brim to dip his hand

into the cooling flood. Before he could do so, however, the terrible

dragon put his head up through the midst, with a frightful howl, and

spueing fire out of his nostrils. Zovanin, instead of drawing back,

instantly took out his sword and, with one blow, severed the monster's

head from the trunk! Then all the people rushed to the fountain,

hailing him as their deliverer. But ere they had slaked their thirst,

the dragon, which had sunk back into the depth of the water, reappeared

with a new head, already full grown, and more terrible than the last,

for it not only spued out fire from its nostrils, but darted living

sparks from its eyes.

When the people saw this they all ran away screaming, and Zovanin was

left alone; but, as usual, he did not lose heart, and with another

well-aimed blow sent the second head of the monster rolling by the

side of the first!

The people came back, and began to drink again when they saw the huge

trunk disappear beneath the surface; but it was not many minutes

before another head cropped up, more terrible than either of the

preceding, for it not only spued fire from its nostrils and darted

living sparks from its eyes, but it had hair and mane of flames,

which waved and rolled abroad, threatening all within reach. All the

people fled at the sight, and Zovanin was once more left alone with

the monster. Once more he severed the terrible head; and after this

the dragon was seen no more.

"That must be very wonderful blood out of which three heads can

spring," thought Fearless Johnny; and he filled a vial with the

dragon's blood, and journeyed farther.

After a time he came to the outskirts of another town. It was

not deserted like the last. The streets were full of people making

merry--in fact, every one was so very merry that they seemed a whole

community of madmen. Another might have been afraid to encounter

them at all; but not so Fearless Johnny, he spurred his horse and

rode right through their midst. But for all his seeming so fearless

and self-possessed, the people got round him, and seized his horse's

bridle, and dragged him from the saddle.

"What do you want with me, good people?" cried Zovanin; "let me hear,

before you pull me to pieces."

When they found him so cool, spite of the wild way in which they had

handled him, they began to respect him, and loosed their hold.

"If you want to know," answered one, "it is soon told. We are all

in this town wholly given up to amusement. We have done with work

and toil, and do nothing but dance, and drink, and sing, and divert

ourselves from morning to night. But after enjoying all this a long

time, we begin to find it rather wearisome, and we are almost as

tired of our pastime as we used to be of our labour. So the king has

decreed that every stranger who comes by this way shall be caught,

and required to find us a quite new diversion, and if he cannot do

that, we will make him dance on red-hot stones, and flog him round

the town, and get some fun out of him that way, at all events; as

you don't look very likely to find us a new pastime, we may as well

begin with putting you on your death-dance."

"Don't make too sure of that!" said Fearless Johnny, not at all

disconcerted; "take me to your king, and I'll show you a diversion

you never heard of before."

When he came to the king, the king laughed, and would hardly listen

to him, because he looked so broad and heavy, and not at all like

one who could invent a merry game.

But Johnny protested that if they would let him cut off any one's

head, he would stick it on just as before, and the man should be

never the worse.

The king was greatly delighted with the idea, and most anxious to see

the performance, promising that he would not only let him go free if

he succeeded, but would load him with honours and presents into the

bargain. Zovanin professed himself quite ready to prove his skill,

but no one could be found who was willing to let the experiment be

tried on him.

This angered the king greatly; and at last he called forward his

jester, and ordered Zovanin to make the trial on him.

The jester, however, objected as much as any one else, only, as he

belonged entirely to the king, he could not disobey him. "But think,

your majesty," said the poor hunchback, "what will your majesty do

without his jester, if this quack does not succeed in his promises?"

"But I shall succeed!" thundered Fearless Johnny; and he spoke with

such assurance, that the king and all the people were more desirous

than ever to see the feat, and cried to him to commence. When the

jester found that all hope of wriggling out of the cruel decree was

vain, he threw himself on his knees, and begged so earnestly that

the king would grant him two favours, that he could not resist. The

two favours were, that he should have the satisfaction of repeating

the trick on Johnny, if he allowed him to try his skill on him, and

also that he should first give proof of what he could do on the ape,

with whose pranks he was wont to amuse the king.

The king and Zovanin both agreed to the two requests, and the poor

ape was brought forward, and delivered over to make the first essay.

Zovanin did not keep the breathless multitude long in suspense;

with one blow he severed its head, threw it up high in the air,

that all might see it was well cut off, and then placed it on again,

smearing in some drops of the dragon's blood by way of cement. The

head and trunk were scarcely placed together again, with the dragon's

blood between, than the ape bounded up as well as before, and just

as if nothing had been done to him; but, on the contrary, finding

himself the object of great attention, and excited by the shouts of

the people, he sprang and gambolled about from side to side with even

greater alacrity than his wont.

"Now, Sir Hunchback!" cried Zovanin, "it is your turn. You see it's

not very bad; so come along, and no more excuses."

"Go it, hunchback!" said the king; and all the people shouted, "The

hunchback's head! the hunchback's head!" with such vehemence that it

was evident there was no means of getting out of the trial. It was

true, Zovanin had proved he could put a head on again; but the jester

shrank from the cold steel nevertheless, and it was only with a look

which concentrated all his venom that he yielded himself up. Fearless

Johnny struck off his head in a trice, then threw it up high in the

air, as he had done the ape's, and then cemented it on again with

the dragon's blood as well as ever.

"Now for you!" screamed the hunchback, when he found his head back

in its right place once more.

Zovanin had no fear, but sat down on the ground instantly, so that

the hunchback might reach him more conveniently. "This is all you

have to do," he said: "take my sword in your two hands, and swing it

round across my throat. Then pour the contents of this vial over the

stump of the throat, and clap the head down on it again."

"Yes, yes! I think I ought to know how it's done, as well as you,"

answered the dwarf, hastily; and he swung the sword round with a will,

sending Johnny's head rolling at the king's feet. The people caught

it up and handed it round; and it might soon have got lost in the

crowd, but that the king shouted to them to bring it back, because he

wanted to see it stuck on again. So they gave it back to the jester,

and he smeared the rest of the dragon's blood over the stump of the

throat--but in putting the head on, took care to turn it the wrong

way, which, as he managed to bend over Johnny's recumbent body, no

one observed till he rose to his feet. Then all the people screeched,

and yelled, and shouted, so that John could not make out what was

the matter, but, getting angry, demanded his horse, that he might

ride away from them all.

The king ordered his horse to be brought, and Johnny sprang into the

saddle, and the cries of the people made the beast start away faster

even than Johnny himself wished; only Johnny could not make out why

he seemed to him, for all his urging, always to go backwards.

At last, he got quite away from the shouts of the people, into a

calm, quiet place, where there was a lake shut in by high hills,

which, with the mulberry-trees, and vines, and grassy slopes, were

all pictured in the lake's smooth face.

Zovanin was hot with his ride, and so was his mount; so he walked

him into the shallow water, while he himself dismounted, and bent

down to drink.

At the sight that met his gaze in the water, a shout burst from his

lips more terrible than the shouts of all the people. He gazed again,

and couldn't think what had befallen him; but, so horrified was he

at the sight of his own back where he was wont to see his breast,

that he fell down and died of fear on the spot! And thus Fear visited

him at last--in a way which would certainly never have occurred, if

the jester had put his head on again in the way nature designed for it.

[1] "Fearless Johnny." John is a favourite name in Wälsch

Tirol, and bears some twenty or thirty variations, as Giovannazzi,

Gianaselli, Gianot, Zanetto, Zanolini, Zuani, Degiampietro

(John Peter), Zangiacomi (John James), &c.

[2] The Latin name of the god of hell remains throughout Italy,

and holds in its nurseries the place of "Old Bogie" with us.

[3] "Earthly soul, stand off three paces, and tell me your grief."