THE GOLDEN APPLE AND THE UNBORN MAIDEN – project “COOKING A FAIRYTALE”
Have you ever cooked fairy tales?
I have.
I’ve mixed them, I’ve stirred them, and I’ve baked them and served them to my children as a brand new yarn.
When I was little, I grew up with a big collection of fairy tales in our family's built-in library wall. From Aesop, Lafontaine, Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Andresen, Alexander Pushkin and Ran Bosilek… And then comes the whole Pleiades of Bulgarian folklore tales with so many magical characters, upper, middle and under worlds, that even J. R. R. Tolkien would envy them...
Of course, there were many stories with a similar plot and when I was tired and just rushing the kids to go to asleep, I would mix and stir up few fables into some new concoction.
In Bulgarian folklore, we have quite a few stories with a golden apple as the main hero. So it can be easy for most bards to get muddled up and start jumping and time-traveling from one golden apple storyline to another.
And here is one, I’ve told my kids many nights before bedtime:
THE GOLDEN APPLE AND THE UNBORN MAIDEN
Once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away, there was a young prince who wanted to find a fair maiden. But a witch put a curse on him to marry only a maiden that wasn't born from a mother but appear in a magic way. So he went to ask the Sun and the Sun gave him three golden apples and told him "When you want to meet your chosen fair maiden, slice the apple and make sure you give her what she asks of you". Happy that he's got what he was looking for, the prince went on his way back home but not long after he got thirsty and as there was no water around he sliced the first golden apple. A pretty girl with untold beauty came out of the apple and asked for a sip of water. He had no water and – poof! – she disappeared. He continued his journey back home and not long after the hunger again started squeezing his stomach. He reached for the second golden apple since there was nothing else to eat. As he sliced the second apple the most beautiful girl appeared – prettier than the first one. She asked for a sip of water but the prince had none. She disappeared as fast as she appeared. The prince got puzzled but continued his trip home. Not long after he reached a well with cold fresh water just under a tree heavy with juicy peaches. He took his last golden apple and sliced it. That instant a beautiful girl, prettier than the first two, appeared and asked for water and food. The prince jumped with joy as he had water and food to offer her and that's how she stayed with him to be his fairest bride.
The moral of the story is that the chosen one comes not when we need them, but when we are ready to indulge them.
That’s how I cook a fairy tale and here is one I’ve made earlier – a poached Golden Delicious Apple dipped in a Crème Anglaise. And believe me, it was just as dreamy as the fairy tale.
Wonder how to prepare it?
Ah, but that’s another story.
Till then, sleep tight!
© 2017 copyright | an ode to… | sophia terra~ziva | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
