Week 4 Reading Diary: 22 Goblins

This reading diary covers the stories from "Twenty-Two Goblins", translated by Arthur W. Ryder, with illustrations by Perham W. Nahl (1917).

Introduction:
A monk gave the king 12 years of gifts consisting of fruits with jewels in them, and then the king returned the favor by doing a task for the monk. He was to cut down a body hanging from a tree and carry it to the monk in the cemetery. That body turned out to be inhabited by a goblin and the goblin wanted to tell the king stories as they traveled. The stories are riddles and require an answer from the king in the end. This intro was short and to the point. I'm glad it exists because otherwise I would have had no context for why the goblin was with the king and telling stories.

The Goblin hanging from the tree, the king approaching to retrieve him.

The Three Lovers: 
This is the first story told by the goblin, three men bring a dead girl back to life and the king must decide who should be the husband. If he is wrong the goblin will tell another story, if he is right the goblin escapes and hangs on the tree again, if the king knows but pretends he doesn't his head will explode. The king ultimately answers correctly. I couldn't guess what the answer would be or how the king would answer so it was an interesting story.

Brave, Wise, Clever
Another story about who a woman should be given too.. I'm not sure I like this theme. This time three men, one brave, one smart, and one clever, defeat a giant to get a woman and again the King guesses correctly which one should get her. This tale seemed too similar to the last one so I didn't like it.

The Girl, Her Husband, and Her Brother
A woman mixed up the heads of her brother and husband when attaching them back to their bodies. The king said the head matters and that one is her husband. Again the goblin escaped. I'm starting to think the king will never make it back with the goblin. The stories are all very weird.

Food, Women, Cotton
Three men were said to be specialists in food, women, cotton. The king decided it was the cotton specialist who was the cleverest after hearing of how the king in the story tested them. This seemed pretty far fetched, I don't think that man actually felt the single stand of hair through seven cotton quilts.

The Four Scientific Suitors
Four men made their case for the hand of the princess and the king chose the warrior swordsman as the one who should get to marry her. This story had a lesson at the end- "Discouragement never enters the brave heart of a resolute man." I could see this being turned into a dating show, and furthermore the gender roles could switch. The suitors could be women and the princess would turn to a prince.

The Three Delicate Wives
The three wives in this story were injured by either a falling lotus petal, the beams from the moon, or the sound of pestles grinding. The king said the one bruised by sound was the most delicate and he was right. The tales in these stories are so odd, I wonder where the goblin got them. You would think after running after him so many times the king would just give up. I'm ready to see what finally happens.