Hungarian Folk Tales: Only Donkeys Don't Eat the Spoon
Once upon a time, beyond the snowy Alps, in the cradle of the Carpathian Mountains, lay the land of Hungary.
And there lived a king, called Matthias.
If the old stories are to be believed then King Matthias like to see for himself how his people lived.
He dressed in the clothes of a simple beggar
and wandered the land, where he spoke to his people as their equal.
One day he found himself on a vast plain where all he could see was the small house of a shepherd.
So King Matthias approached the house and greeted the good shepherd.
It was the middle of winter so the shepherd invited the king into his home.
The shepherd had no idea that this poor beggar was actually the king of the land.
He gave him food for his journey
and the king carved his host name on his stick before he returned to his royal palace.
The shepherd had a trusty black sheepdog.
The little dog was so skilled and loyal but it never left the shepherd's feet.
King Matthias sent a letter to the shepherd inviting him and his trusty sheepdog to the palace.
But the invitation did not explain why he was invited or how to find the king's home.
So the shepherd made himself look smart, took his crook in his hand
and set off for the king's royal palace with his sheepdog by his side.
When they reached the city gate, they were met by a guard, who said:
Hey, old man! Stop here!
Where are you going?
To his Majesty the King.
And with a dog?
But of course, – the shepherd replied – here you are.
You can see the royal letter that invites us both.
The guard read the letter from top to bottom.
Oh, old man! You are sure to be richly rewarded by the king.
I shall let you pass if you promise to share the great reward with me.
Well I don't mind.
I promise you that half of the reward will be yours.
Then the shepherd reached the castle gate.
He tried to enter but was again stopped by a guard.
Hey, old man! Stop here! Where are you going?
To his Majesty the King.
With a dog?
Well I have a letter. Here you are.
You were right, you were both invited.
But then the guard remembered that there was a banquet inside the palace.
The king had called together all the important men in his kingdom.
The king obviously wanted to reward the lowly shepherd in front of these rich men;
but also planned to play a joke on the old man first.
The second guard said:
Old man, you are going to get a great reward.
I shall let you pass if you give me half of that reward.
All right I will give you half of it.
So he would give one half to this one and he had promised to give the other half to the other one.
So that would leave him with nothing, wouldn't it.
The old shepherd walked into the palace.
The king handiest courtiers what already seated around the large table.
The servants had set places for them all with a bowl, spoon, knife and a fork
in front of everyone except the shepherd, who had been given no spoon.
The soup was served and everyone helped himself.
The first of course was his Majesty, King Matthias;
who raised his spoon and said:
Dear Sirs! Only donkeys don't eat soup!
Everyone took his spoon.
The shepherd tried to take his one, too, but he had none.
Oh dear, I shall be the donkey now because I cannot eat my soup.
I cannot eat soup with either a fork or a knife.
But this was not the first time that a poor man had to eat soup without a spoon.
The old shepherd simply cut the end off his bread and hollowed it out.
The crispy crust made the perfect spoon for eating soup and he certain ate every last drop.
Watched by all the important guests and the king.
Your Majesty said that only donkeys don't eat soup.
Well let me add that only donkeys don't eat their spoon.
And the old shepherd gobbled up his soup soaked spoon in one.
The banquet eventually ended and the time came for the king to hand out rewards.
And you will never believe what the old shepherd asked for:
Your Majesty, I would like fifty strokes of the stick.
Shepherd, I haven't invited you to beat you fifty times for the stick.
I wanted to play a practical joke on you, but you played the joke on me.
Therefore you deserve more than fifty strokes.
Tell me now, what I owe you?
Your Majesty, you owe me nothing more than fifty strokes.
That's all I want.
Then the king understood that it had been a joke again.
Very well then. But tell me now, why?
Why!? The reason is very simple.
On my way here I was stopped by a guard at the city gate who refused to let me in,
unless he could share half of my reward.
Then the second guard only let me enter the palace if he too could receive half of my reward.
So now one will receive twenty-five strokes of the stick and so will the second.
And so the shepherd's joke was ended.