Hungarian Folk Tales: Angel Lambs
Once there lived a very poor man, on the edge of the forest in his little hut
with his wife and three sons.
He earned his bread by cutting wood. Poor they were and their life was hard.
One day the man was working in the forest and had become very tired.
He took out his satchel to eat the scone his wife had baked him in the ashes of the fire.
While he was chewing away on his food, there came an old man.
What are you doing here, poor man?
Just cutting some wood.
What's that you're eating?
Nothing special, just a scone baked in the ashes. Won't you have a little for yourself?
Listen, my man, have you a family?
Three sons, but they're still small.
I need someone to serve me.
I have a flock of sheep and it needs to be watched over.
Give me your eldest son into service.
Three days he will work and a hundred forints he will earn.
Now the poor man went home very pleased and said to his son:
Listen, my boy, tomorrow you'll come with me to the forest
and there you'll meet an old man who will take you into service.
In the morning his mother packed his satchel and off he went with his father to the forest.
Hardly had they arrived when the old man came.
He took the boy by the hand and led him away with him.
Now they went deep into the forest until night fell.
Then they came to a hut.
Now son, here we are.
Daylight came, the boy went out and there he saw the fine flock of sheep.
This is the flock you ought to watch over.
Here’s a staff for you to follow my lambkins.
Here’s a satchel for you so that you can bring back in it to me some of what they eat.
And in it there's a flask for you to fill with whatever they drink from.
So the lambs set off and made their way into the forest.
The further they went in the darker it became.
Then they found a wide river before them and there was only a narrow plank to cross the river.
The sheep set off but their weight was such as to bend the plank until their bellies were in the water itself.
Now this worried the lad.
I’ll never be able to cross on that plank, it’ll collapse under me!
The last of the lambs came to rub against his leg.
Just climb onto my back and I’ll take you across.
But the boy struck its back roughly with the staff, lay on his stomach in the grass and waited.
Sometime later he heard the sound of their bells as they came back.
The last of them came to him and rubbed against his leg.
Follow us.
Then his master's request came to his mind.
He gathered together a handful of grass for the satchel, put some water into the flask,
and followed the flock home.
When they arrived the old man was waiting for them in his yard.
So my boy, I see you've brought my lambkins home.
Are they still all here? Yes, master!
Did you bring what they ate? Yes, master!
Did you bring what they drank? That too, master!
Let me have a look! No my boy, that's not what they ate,
that's not what they drank, for these lambs of mine cannot live on this!
You didn't do your proper service.
Tomorrow I'll take your next brother.
But his younger brother didn't fare any better.
For he did exactly the same with the old man's flock.
At home the poor man spoke to the youngest of his sons:
Son, it's your turn, tomorrow you'll come with me to the forest.
The next day the old man was waiting for them.
He took the boy by the hand and led him into the forest until it got dark.
Here, my boy, is where you will sleep.
In the morning the old man came to knock on the door.
The boy hung the satchel around his neck and set off after the sheep.
The sheep walked and walked along the edge of the forest.
Once they went into the forest everything got dark.
In the middle of the forest it was so dark that the youngest boy was gripped by fear.
All the more when they came to the river.
Oh, what will become of me if I cross the river as well?
One of the lambs came to rub against the boy's leg.
Child, sit on my back!
So the boy sat on its back and that's how they crossed the river.
Once they were across they went further and further into the dark
until suddenly there was a great brightness in front of them.
The boy had to rub his eyes for there in the middle of the brightness was a chapel.
The sheep quickly filed in.
Once he was in, he saw the sheep shake themselves twice in front of the altar and changing to angels.
From a beautiful chalice they served themselves each bread and a little wine.
Then they shook themselves once again and turned back into sheep.
The last of them to turn into an angel had taken the boy’s satchel then took bread,
poured some wine into his flask, and put both into his satchel
before setting off with the others towards home.
When they reached the river, the boy got into the sheep's back again,
crossed over the plank and set off home tranquilly.
The old man was waiting for them in the yard.
Now child, are all the sheep here? All here, master!
Have they eaten? They have, master!
Have they drunk? They have, master!
Well then show me your satchel and your flask!
My child, I can see that you have served me faithfully!
And so I grant you a wish as well as the hundred forints you have earned.
And that was when the boy knew that the old man was the Lord himself,
and the lambs, his angels. So what he said was this:
Master, I would like to serve you always.
My only wish is to be allowed to go home once to my parents to bid them farewell.
And that is what happened.
Home he went, bade goodbye to his father, his mother and his two brothers,
handed over to them his wages and returned to the old man
whom he still serves to his very day.