The Seven - League Boots
I have never heard of the Seven-league boots as mentioned in Jose Marti's "Our America". It piqued my interest, and I did a little bit of research and found this story. There are many other stories that include the Seven-league boots, but this is a popular one! I know this post looks long, but it is a great break from writing your paper!
The story of the Seven-League Boots is in many European folk tales, but is quite common in the following French story. This story, as you are reading it, sound a lot like the childhood tale you probably grew up with - Hansel and Gretel, except with some differences that I'm sure you will see. (I'm not going to give away the story!)
"A VERY poor couple once lived in a village near a wood,
where they used to work ; but as they had a family of seven
little children, all boys, they could hardly manage to get food
enough. The least boy was so tiny that he was called HOP
o' MY THUMB ; but though so small, he was very clever. One
night, when all the children were lying in bed, their parents
were crying sadly, because there was no food in the house ;
and Hop o' my Thumb was quite in a fright, when he heard
them say, that they would take all their little ones into the
wood next day, and there leave them, that they might not
see them die of hunger. So he got up very early in the
morning, and filled his pockets with pebbles ; and when he
and his brothers went into the wood, he dropped the stones
one by one as he walked along, and by this means, when it
was getting dark, they found the way home again. But the
next time the poor couple took their children to the wood,
the little fellow could not get pebbles, for he had been locked
up all night, and had nothing but a few crumbs to drop on
the road, and these the birds soon ate up. The wind howled,
and the rain fell, and the poor children thought they should
all perish ; but they still kept moving on, in the hope of getting help.
Hop o' my Thumb kept a good look out, and at last he saw
light not far off. So he cheered up his brothers, and on
they went, till they reached a large house, from which the
light was seen to come. After they had knocked at the door,
a pleasant-looking dame opened it ; and Hop o' my Thumb
told how they had lost their way in the wood, and were very
tired and hungry. As soon as she heard their story, she told
them to go away as fast as they could, because her husband,
who was an Ogre, and very fond of eating children, would
soon be home. But they all cried so much, and begged so
hard for food and shelter, that at last she let them in.
The Ogre's wife had only just time to hide the poor children, when the Ogre came in, and ordered her to lay the
cloth, and bring in some sucking-pigs for his supper. Just
as he began to use his great carving-knife and fork, he cried
put gruffly, " I smell child's flesh I" His wife said it was
only the freshly killed calf ; but he was not to be put off so
easily, and, on looking about, he found the poor boys under
the bed. The Ogre gave a look of fierce joy when he saw
them, but he thought it better to fatten them up before he
killed them ; so he told his wife to give them some supper,
and put them to bed, in the same room where his daughters
were sleeping.
Hop o' my Thumb, fearing mischief, could not sleep ; so
he got out of bed, and, on looking about, saw that at the Ogre's
daughters all had crowns on their heads; he then changed
these for the nightcaps worn by his brothers and himself,
and when the Ogre came up in the dark, with his great knife
to kill the poor boys, he cut the throats of his own children,
instead! At peep of day, Hop o' my Thumb awoke his
brothers, and made them quickly get away with him from
the house. After they were gone, the Ogre, grinning savagely, went up to the bed-room ; but he became almost mad
when he found he had killed his daughters, and the little
boys were all gone.
The Ogre now put on his magic boots, with which he could
take seven leagues at a stride, and set off in pursuit of the
poor runaway boys ; but Hop o' my Thumb had made them
all hide in a hole under a rock. By-and-by the Ogre came
back tired and in a very bad humor, and threw himself on
this very rock to sleep. A kind Fairy now appeared to the
children, and gave Hop o' my Thumb a nut to crack as soon
as he should reach the Ogre's house ; but the Fairy told him
he must first take off the Ogre's boots, and send his brothers
home, and afterwards put on the magic boots himself, and
make the best of his way to the Ogre's house.
Hop o' my Thumb, with the help of the kind Fairy, soon
removed the Ogre's seven-leagued boots while he was asleep,
and put them on his own little legs ; but as they were magic
boots, they fitted him as well as the Ogre, just, indeed, as if
they had been made for him. He now called his brothers
out of the hole in the rock, and put them in the way to reach
home. He then strode on in his magic boots, till he came to
the Ogre's house, and, on cracking the nut, he found inside
a paper with these words :
"Go unto the Ogre's door,
These words speak, and nothing more;
' Ogress, Ogre cannot come ;
Great key give to Hop o' my Thumb.' "
When the Ogre's wife first saw Hop o' my Thumb, she was
ready to kill him for having caused the death of her daughters ; but no sooner did he utter the magic words
" Ogress, Ogre cannot come ;
Great key give to Hop o' my Thumb."
Than she gave him the key of the gold chest, and told him to
take as much as he chose. When he saw the great heap of
money in the chest, he thought, like a good subject, he should
like to help the King to some of the treasure ; and so he
made the Ogre's wife give him as many bags full of gold as
he could take away in several journeys.
While Hop o' my Thumb was so well employed in taking
away the wicked Ogre's treasure, that monster was still sleep-
ing, after his useless journey in search of the poor children, on the rock, where Hop o' my Thumb left him. When
he awoke, and found his magic boots gone, and his limbs so
stiff that he could not move, he made a hideous noise, which
aroused all the wild beasts of the forest, and they all flew at
him in great fury, and gored him to death.
Hop o* my Thumb now went to Court, laden with his
hard won spoil, and paid his respects to the King, who did
him the favor to accept of his rich gifts, and rewarded him
by making him his Head .Forester, and his father and
brothers foresters under him ; and whenever the King went
out hunting, the little fellow used to ride by his side, on a
pretty, high-spirited little horse, with rich velvet clothing.
The Ogre's kind-hearted wife was also invited to Court, and
created Duchess of Dollalolla ; and she shared the rest of
her husband's wealth with Hop o' my Thumb, who was
greatly beloved by all for his spirit and good sense ; indeed,
his Majesty at last dubbed him a Knight, and made him his
chief Privy Councillor, saying, that as he had been always
so shrewd and clever in helping his brothers, he must surely
be able to give him good advice whenever he might need."
Where I got the story:
If you have the time and like myths - check out this site!
Buena suerte on your papers!
