the white moor

THE WHITE MOOR

BY ION CREANGA

The story the White More

by Ion Creanga is an epical

wock of fiction, a folk

fairytale.

The subject is rather

easy, typical to Romanian

folk fairytales, with heroes

and folk motifs, in which

the supernatural is

combined with the real

world of the author’s

countryside characters from

The Green King asks his

brother, the Prince, to send

his bravest son of his three

to follow him on his throne,

because he had only girls. In

order to test him , the Prince

dresses in a bear skin and

scares away his two older

sons. But the youngest one

manages to pass the test

and gets the blessing to

leave towards the kingdom

of the Green King

Advised by the Saint Sunday, that he had helped, the young

Prince chooses his horse, weapons and clothes, that his

father had as a groom and leaves after receiving his father’s

advice , among which to stay away from the Red Man and

the Smooth Faced Man. Despite that, he is fooled by the

Smooth faced man, who by a trick, turns him into a slave.

Under death threat , the Prince’s son, swears he will tell no

one who he really is, keeping the secret until he would die

and arise from the dead. The Smooth Faced Man gives him

the name “the White Moor”, which he serves faithfully,

respecting his oath.

Arriving at the palace of The Green King, the Smooth Faced

passes as his nephew and out of an unmeasured sense of

pride, makes The White Moor surpass dangerous tests, in the

hope that he will get rid of him: to bring salads from the

bear’s garden; the skin of a fabulous deer, beaten with

precious stones, to bring the Red King’s daughter, in order to

marry her. Helped by the Saint Sunday, by ants, and bees and

advised permanently by his horse , the White Moor manages

to pass all the tests. His five fabulous friends: The Eye, the

Thirsty, the Frosty, the Hungry and The Long one help him to

defeat all the shackles in order to bring the daughter of the

Red King to the Green kingdom.

Here they are welcomed with all honors, but the girl

of the Red King refuses The Smooth Faced Man and

unveils to all the ones present that the White Moor is

the true nephew of the Green King. Discovered , the

Smooth Faced Man cuts the White Moor’s head, but

the girl surrounds him with the three spikes of the

apple tree, sprinkles him with Holy water and brings

him back to life. Then the charmed horse grabs the

Smooth Faced man and throws him into the sky, from

where he falls on the ground and dies.

The Green King officiates Rumarriage of The

White Moor and The Red King’s daughter, and

all his friends were invited at their wedding ,

the ones that helped him in his adventures to

pass all the tests and it was great joy. Even the

poor those drank and ate. The joy went on for

many years, and it is still on nowadays, and

who go there, drink and eat, and who don’t

watch and crave!

END!