Reading B: The Young Man Who Would Have His Eyes Opened

- a young man taught himself to understand the languages of birds and beasts

- he heard animals discussing what goes on in the forest at night, but he could not see it with human eyes

- he asked an old magician to help him but the magician gold him that empty knowledge does not bring happiness

- the boy didn't listen, but insisted and the old man gave in

- the old man told him that he would have to go to a feast hosted by the serpent king that night, a feast only hosted once every 7 years

- at the feast, he would have to dip a piece of bread into a bowl of goat's milk that will be in front of the serpent king and eat it 

- the young man was determined to succeed and journeyed all the rest of the day to the moor where the serpent-king would hold his feast

- in the moor there were thousands of snakes laying and hissing

- in the middle was a huge serpent with a crown on his head and a bowl of goat's milk in front of him

- the young man was terrified but he crept silently to the edge of the moor 

- he sprinted towards the bowl and managed to dip his piece of bread in it and run away

- he got far enough away and then collapsed and had horrible dreams

- when he woke up, he journeyed back to the forest and got there right at nightfall

- in the forest, he saw wood nymphs dancing and feasting in the forest

- he was overwhelmed by the beauty of what he saw

- he went back to the forest the next day but they were not there

- he was sick and bitter for the rest of his life because he could never see them again 

- he realized that he old wizard was right, "blindness is man's highest good"


I found this story very engaging and interesting! It was also kind of haunting. The fact that the young man effectively ruined the rest of his life because he could never find the nymphs again was very sad. The moral of the story reminded me of the "ignorance is bliss" adage. Knowledge is helpful but it can sometimes just lead to greater sadness, especially if it's allowed to overwhelm you. 

Story Source:  The Violet Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H. J. Ford (1901).



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