A prince and a swallow

I was going thru some old books of mine these morning when I spotted a old European folk story which I think is originated from the Nordic region.(Can't recall the author but definitely not written by the brothers Grimm).

The story is:

Long time ago, there was a crown prince who was kind and always helped the poor folk but alas,his death came too soon. The citizens of that country were heartbroken to hear that their beloved prince had died so they decided to build a statue as a memorial of their prince.

The statue was built in the center of the royal city so everyone could always remember the prince and his kind deeds to the people. The statue was a masterpiece and the people contributed their wealth in building the statue.

The statue was made from 4 types of metal,the statue was made from steel,the garments were made from bronze,silver and gold. The eyes were made of the greenest emeralds,the mouth was made of reddest ruby and the spectre was decorated with the expensive stones. The citizens and the royal family didn't care about the cost,they just want the finest materials and stones for the statue.

The statue was completed during winter. It was the coldest winter ever. A group of swallows were on their way south when 1 of them was to tired to carry on the journey so he stopped and rest at the feet of the statue.

As he was resting,he felt droplets of water dropping on him. He found out that the statue was crying and he asked,"Oh my beautiful lord,aren't u happy with what the citizens had done?". The statue replied," No,oh kind swallow. I'm not happy.In building me,the citizens had to sacrifice their wealth. How it pains my eyes to see their suffering."

After a while,the statue spoke again,"Oh,swallow,could you help me with something?"" My kind prince,ur command is mine to obey.But I can't stay long cos the cold is approaching and I need to rejoin my group,"said the swallow. "Could u use ur beak and tear off the metals that covered me and give them to the poor so they have food and fuel to endure the winter?I'll be eternally grateful to u,kind swallow,"the prince said.The swallow agreed and began tearing the metals and passing them to the poor.

" My prince,Can I go now since I had fulfill my duty?" asked the swallow. "Oh swallow,the sight of my people's suffering is tearing my heart.Could u give them the precious stone on my spectre?" "Yes,I will,my lord," replied the swallow. The swallow went around the city and gave the precious stones to the people.

"My prince,my duty is done. Can I leave now?" " Oh, my swallow.It pains my heart to let u go but the suffering of my people pains me more.Could u give the emeralds which form my eyes to the sick so that they could be healthy again?" said the prince. "Yes,my lord.I'm yours to command," the swallow said. The swallow plucked the emeralds and dropped them in the charity basket which is in front of the city's hospital.

" My prince,I have done what u had asked me.Can I leave now?" asked the swallow for the 3rd time."Yes,my kind swallow,U can but before that could u take the emerald which forms my mouth and give to the orphanage. It may help them to endure the winter. " I shall do it but my heart pains me to leave u alone here.I will stay the night here and continue my journey tomorrow,my kind prince," said the swallow.

The next day,the people saw how ugly the statue had became and even worst,a dead swallow was found on the statue's feet. They decided to tear down the statue and replace it with plaque so that no one could defile their memorial for the prince.

At the smelters,when the smiths were melting the statue,they found a heart shaped piece that couldn't melt although they had raise the heat to the max. Without further ado, they just threw it into the scrap pile.

The End

I hoped u had enjoyed the story and gotten the moral of it.I know it isn't ur typical bedtime story with a happy ever after but I hope that u'll narrate it to ur children or nephews or nieces during their bed time.

Sé onr sverdar sitja hvass