THE MAN OF ALL COLORS
Source
In the courtyard there was a large iron cage, where an eagle was locked, tied by the leg with a chain. Hands brought him raw meat twice a day. Three mares were in the stable, one white as snow, the other black as a crow, the last one red as blood. These three animals were also served by Hands, who groomed them, made their bedding, and did not let them lack hay, straw, or oats. But there was neither man nor woman.
The Man of All Colors thus lived for a long time in the great castle, always alone, and very tired of such a life. To pass his time, he went down to the stable morning and evening; and when he had taken care of the three mares, he went to carry raw flesh to the eagle locked in the iron cage. These four beasts took such a liking to their master that they no longer wanted to be served by the Hands.
One day the eagle began to speak:
“Man of all colors, you are bored, always alone in this great castle. Do you think I am having fun, still chained by the leg, and locked in this iron cage? Deliver me. I will fly to the earth, through the hole from which you came down. Every day, I will come and give you news from up there."
The Man of All Colors freed the imprisoned eagle and said to him:
“Eagle, go to my country to seek news of my father. Tell him I'm trapped underground, and he'll never, ever see me again."
The eagle left and returned the same evening.
“Man of all colors, I saw your father. He is very old, and can no longer work. Three of your brothers help him as much as they can. But they don't earn enough to feed him doing nothing. Also, the poor old man often took the bag and went to beg for his poor life from door to door, as Our Lord Jesus Christ used to do in the past. Now I have put everything in order, and this will not happen again. I know where to get supplies, and your father will have his supply every day."
"Thank you, eagle."
From that day on, the Man of All Colors and the eagle were great friends. Every morning the eagle left for its business, and every evening it brought news from above. One evening he said to his friend:
“Man of all colors, something is happening up there that deserves to be discussed. There is a king who has four daughters, as beautiful as the day. A Dwarf stole the three eldest from him and hid them I don't know where. But the last one stayed with her father. Now listen to the notice that the king drummed this morning in all the parishes of his country. — “Ran plan plan, ran plan plan. All bold men and good horsemen have been informed by the king that during the next month, there will be three great horse races in the city of Babylon, one each Sunday. Whoever wins three times will marry the king's daughter the Sunday after."
Then the Man of All Colors became sad. Night and day he thought about what the eagle had told him. One morning, the mare, red as blood, noticed that her master was crying.
“Man of all colors, I know why you cry; but I can put you out of trouble. With me, you will win the first race, because I know a particular path to go underground. But I can only go there once, back and forth; and you have to swear to come back with me."
"Mare red as blood, I swear to you by my soul."
"Well! Let's leave."
The mare, red as blood, set out faster than the wind, and an hour later she arrived in the city of Babylon. It was a Sunday evening.
Source: L'Homme de Toutes Couleurs, from the French book Contes populaires de la Gascogne, tome 2, published in 1886
Hello, my name is Vincent Celier.
I am writing translations of folk tales that I found in public domain French books, so that people who do not understand French may enjoy them too.
So, we thought that the Man of All Colors was all alone, helped by Hands. But we were wrong: there are four animals, one eagle and three mares, that have become his friends and that will help him. Will they succeed in helping him to leave the castle permanently? We will see that later.
There is information in this episode that may help us guess what the three mares are really.
Also, we heard from the eagle that three of the six brothers of the Man of All Colors are helping their father. That must be good news for the Man of All Colors.
Today is November 1st, All Saints' Day in Christianity. In Hungary, it is a national holiday, and almost all the stores are closed.
Tomorrow, it is November 2nd, Day of the Dead.
In Hungary, Mindenszentek napja (literally All Saints Day) is a national holiday which is followed by Halottak napja (Day of the Dead). On Day of the Dead people take candles and flowers (especially chrysanthemums) on the tombs or graves of all their loved ones... (Wikipedia)
Today we saw many cars parked near cemeteries and many people inside the cemeteries. They put candles that will burn all night and probably part of tomorrow.
The pictures below were taken from the garden of Kati's mother's house.
-- Vincent Celier