Episode 33
The Twelve Wild Geese
Today, we’re exploring a tale of envy, regret, and redemption with the story of the twelve wild geese. A queen who’s got everything but a daughter, and in a moment of longing, she makes a wish that spirals into chaos. Spoiler alert: her wish comes true, but it comes with a heavy price—her 12 sons are turned into geese! As the story unfolds, we see the daughter, Snow White and Rose Red, on a quest to save her brothers and break the curse while keeping her mouth zipped for a whopping five years. Yeah, you heard me right! Grab your snacks, get cozy, and let’s unravel the magic, heartache, and a solid dose of family drama together!
Takeaways:
- In this episode, we dive deep into a tale that's all about envy, regret, and redemption, trust me, it's a wild ride!
- A mother’s wish for a daughter leads to a heart-wrenching curse that takes away her 12 sons, highlighting the dangers of longing.
- Our girl Snow White and Rose Red was born beautiful but soon felt the weight of family secrets and a missing connection, talk about heavy!
- The story teaches us that silence can be both a burden and a necessity, especially when it comes to breaking family curses.
- As our heroine embarks on a quest to save her brothers, she shows us that love can drive us to do the impossible, like knitting shirts for geese!
- In the end, the power of love and perseverance triumphs, reminding us that happy endings are often just a wild journey away!
Transcript
Welcome to Bitesized Folklore, your weekly tale from the shadows of the old world. Today's story is about envy, regret and redemption. It's a tale of a wish made in winter and the price a mother paid.
This is the story of the twelve wild geese. Long ago, there was a king and queen who lived happily together with twelve strong sons. But not a single daughter.
And although they loved their boys, the queen still longed for something she didn't have have. One snowy morning, she looked out from her window and saw a freshly killed calf, blood on the snow and a raven standing over it.
She whispered to herself, if I had a daughter with skin as white as snow, cheeks as red as blood, and hair as black as the raven, I'd give away every one of my 12 sons for her. The words left her lips and suddenly she was seized with fear, and a chill passed through her bones. Before her stood an old woman, stern as stone.
That was a wicked wish, she said, and so it shall be granted. The daughter you wish for will come. But the day she is born, your twelve sons will be taken from you. And then she vanished.
When the time came, the queen tried to prevent the curse. She had her sons kept safe, locked away in a guarded room of the palace. But on the hour of the baby's birth, a great wind rose.
There was a whirling and whistling, and the twelve princes were seen flying one by one through the window, changed into wild geese, vanishing into the trees. The king was heartbroken. He never learned the full truth.
As for the girl, beautiful as her mother had wished, she was named Snow White and Rose Red, and she was the joy of the court. But as she grew older, she grew sadder.
At 12 years old, she began to ask about the 12 portraits missing from the gallery, about the names that no one dares speak. And finally, the queen broke down and confessed. If they were taken, it was because of me. The girl said, then I'll find them and I'll make it right.
That very night, she slipped away from the palace through the woods with nothing but some bread and fruit. She walked until sunset the next day, when she came to a house in a clearing.
Inside there were 12 plates, 12 chairs, 12 beds, and food set out as if waiting. She waited, and just before dusk, the twelve wild geese flew down and became men. But when they saw her, their joy turned to sorrow.
The eldest said, we took an oath. The first girl to enter this house must die. It was a girl that cursed us. We swore it. But I am your sister, she said.
I knew nothing of this until Yesterday I came to save you. There was silence. And then an old woman appeared. A fairy. Break your oath, she said. She is your deliverer.
She must spin and knit 12 shirts from your bog down, gathered by hand. Five years of silence. If she speaks letters, laughs or weeps, your curse will remain. And so she began. For three long years she said not a word.
She gathered bog down, spun thread and knit shirts. Her fingers bled, her heart ached, but she worked on. One day a prince found her.
She could not speak, but he saw something in her eyes and begged her to come with him. She brought her basket of shirts and the bog down. They were married and she lived in his palace, silent but beloved, but not by all.
His stepmother, wicked and jealous, plotted against her. When the queen gave birth to a son, the old woman took the child and gave the queen a sleeping draught.
She then threw the baby into the garden where a wolf was waiting. The beast caught the child and fled. The stepmother smeared the queen's mouth with blood and screamed, she's eaten her own child.
The king was stricken. He still loved her, but doubt grew in his heart. And she, still bound by silence, could say nothing. She worked on. Time passed and a daughter was born.
And once again the child was taken and the queen blamed. The court turned against her. She was condemned to death. As the hour approached, she still worked, the final shirt, missing just one sleeve.
As she was tied to the stake, she placed the bundle in her lap and stitched. The moment last thread was drawn, she cried out, I am innocent. Bring my husband. And above, her wings thundered in the sky. 12 geese descended.
She threw the shirts into the air and one by one, the brothers became men again. The people gasped. The prince rushed in. But there too was the wolf. Wolf now changed into a kind woman, cradling two living children.
The fairy had watched over them all. As for the stepmother, well, some say she was banished. Others, that she met a darker fate.
But the young queen, her husband and her 12 brothers lived long and well. And the silence that once bound her was never needed again. Thank you so much for listening to bite sized folklore.
A tale of loss, endurance and the strength of love. Unspoken until next time. May your wishes come wisely and your words fall kindly.
