The Legend of the Slipper (Asian folktale)
((OOC note: I am a storyteller by training, and I learned this one a long time ago, but haven't been able to find it again since. I believe it is Chinese in origin, but might be Korean. I would LOVE to see it illustrated! This is not mine, but is a public domain folktale, told as I learned it.))
Once, long ago, there was a peaceful kingdom whose king was blessed with the most beautiful daughter. She was named Precious Pearl, because she was precious to her parents. The people loved her as well, finding her good and kind, and always respectful and obedient towards her parents. She loved to dance and sing in a clear, lovely voice, entertaining the court in her long, flowing dress, and slippers embroidered by her own dainty hand.
In time, the peacefulness passed, as a series of long droughts came to the land. The king and his advisers sought the advice of the temples, praying to the gods to bring back the rains. The answer came after some time: to stop the drought, a great bell must be forged and rung from the palace. Not just any bell, cast from a single metal or simple alloy, but one cast of silver, gold, bronze and iron, all in one mold.
The king immediately set his most skilled bell makers to the task, and they worked day and night, using only the purest materials. The mold was prepared, the metals heated to white-hot, poured in, and allowed to cool.
The king was there when they cracked the mold open. When they did, all were horrified to see the bell fall apart into large pieces, each metal distinctly separate from its fellows. The silver rejected the iron, the gold rejected the bronze. Furious, the king ordered they try again, for with every day the droughts grew worse. It was only his daughter's pleas that kept him from executing the bell makers.
Several times more they tried, and every time they failed. They resorted to making sacrifices to the gods, getting monks to bless the casting. Nothing worked. Finally, the king and his court returned to the temples to pray for an answer.
One came. The metals would only unite when joined with one pearl. One precious pearl.
The king was heartbroken. He ordered the bell makers to try and add the largest and most perfect river pearls to the casting, not telling them of the gods' demands. He hoped that he had understood them wrong. But the bells cast only continued to fall apart, with the pearls separating themselves from the metal. Still, the king ordered them to continue. He could not bear the thought of losing his daughter.
Precious Pearl, however, had also been there when the answer came. She attempted to plead with her father, begging him to allow her to sacrifice to their people, more of whom were dying every day. He ordered her to be locked in her room, to keep her safe.
The princess wept, but knew what she had to do. When the palace was asleep, she escaped from her room, climbing from the window using a long rope of clothing. She ran for the casting workshop, knowing that if she were to be caught, it would all be for naught.
The guard heard her footsteps, raising the alarm. Quickly, it seemed the whole palace was in pursuit, the king himself in the lead. Still, Precious Pearl was faster. She scaled the scaffolding, perched on the precipice above the smelting vat, full of white hot precious metals, ready for casting.
Her father caught up to her as she leaped towards her fate, his hands desperately reaching, catching only one of her slippers as she disappeared into the molten mass.
With a heavy heart, the king cradled the slipper to his chest as he ordered the casting to take place. The entire court stood vigil the entire night, eyes locked on the bell, its sacrifice within. The king explained the prophecy, and everyone prayed that it had not been in vain, while grieving their lost princess.
The next morning, the mold was cracked, while all held their breath, fearing what might be revealed.This time, the bell did not cracked, and was revealed in all its glory, gold melded perfectly with bronze, silver with iron, to create a gleaming, radiant work of the bell maker's art.
The bell was hung and as it tolled, the rains began. It rang with a bright, clear tone, reminiscent of a girl's lovely song. The kingdom was saved, even as the people wept. The beautifully hand-embroidered slipper was enshrined in a case next to the bell, with this legend emblazoned on the plaque.
Even now, when the bell is rung, one can hear the voice of Precious Pearl, singing of her love for her people. The embroidery of the slipper seems even brighter then, a reminder of a princess who gave her life that her people might live.
"This tale shows a distinct lack of respect for the art of metallurgy. While one can always appreciate the notion of selfless sacrifice for the sake of others, one does have to wonder just what the king did to anger the gods so much. That was a very specific sacrifice to ask for, after all.
Not a particularly satisfying tale, I'm afraid. Still, a deal is a deal. What story would you like me to tell you in return?"
