Hungarian Folk Tales: Sebastian the Dragon Slayer
Once upon a time there was a poor man,
and the poor man had three sons.
They were so poor that they could not afford to buy even the smallest morsel of food.
So they decided to go and see the king and tell him of their misfortune.
As they were ambling and rambling along their way, they saw an old shepherd grazing sheep on the hill.
The eldest son said:
Ah, if these sheep were mine I would give one to every poor man.
The old shepherd replied:
Then from this moment on, you shall be the shepherd here and the sheep shall be yours!
The two other youths continued on their journey and the old man went with them, too.
They reached a field of hawthorn.
The second son said:
If only there were vines in this field and not hawthorn, and if only the vines were mine,
I would give a vine of plump grapes to every poor man!
Then let the field be yours! – said the old shepherd, and instead of a field of hawthorn, let it be a vineyard!
And the second son stayed to tend the vines.
The third son continued on his journey with the old shepherd by his side,
and soon they arrived at the banks of a broad river.
The young man said:
If only I were the ferryman here, I would take everyone to the far banks and ask not even for a penny!
So the old shepherd agreed and continued on his way home alone.
He ambled and rambled along and soon his path took him winding back to where the first youth stood.
You have so many fine sheep, my son – said the old man.
Would you give me one?
If I gave one of my sheep to everyone who happened by,
in the end, I would not have a single sheep to my name!
The old man gave a wave of his hand and suddenly the hill turned to stone.
Then he continued on his way to meet the second son.
What a lovely vineyard you have, dear boy.
You could give me a vine or two!
I will not give you a vine, not even a cluster of withered grapes!
And before he could so much as cast a glance at his vines
the entire vineyard turned into a field of prickly hawthorn.
The moon was high in the sky by the time the old shepherd reached the river,
where he found the youngest son.
He called out to the other side of the river:
Come, come across the waters on the ferry!
The wife of the ferryman was heavy with child,
so the old man had to wait a while,
but the youngest brother soon cross the waters on the ferry.
He did not ask as much as a single penny from the old man.
Meanwhile, the baby was born, and they asked the old shepherd to be the godfather.
By the time the baby had grown to be a boy of seven years old,
he already seemed to be a lad of twenty.
The old man said to him:
Now Sebastian, – for this was his name – I will give you a sword.
If you tell this sword: sword, sword, sharp and true, mighty sword slices head in two!
And it will slice the head from the neck of any foe.
The boy thanked the old man.
And now, – said the old man – go to see the king of the nearby lands,
for they need as many shepherds there as there are days in the year.
But do not ask a high wage, no more than 12 gold coins, a saddle and a horse.
Play on the pipes, and drive the flock into the rosemary forest, and fear nothing!
So he went to see the king of the nearby lands.
Your Majesty, do you have need of a shepherd in your kingdom?
Indeed I do – said the king, and he took the boy into his service.
Take the flocks out to graze and play the pipes as you watch over them.
But do not go over the bridge, for if you do, you will surely meet your death!
Sebastian took the flocks out to graze, playing on the pipes.
The king watched him from the window.
The boy was deep in a rosemary forest.
He took off his cloak and spread it out at his feet.
Then he took out his pipes and played on them.
There was a stream nearby, and as the water rushed and gushed,
suddenly a seven-headed dragon emerged from the water.
And pray tell, what stray winds have brought you here?
Do you seek the unhappy fate of the other shepherds who came here before you?
Sebastian took his sword in hand and asked the dragon calmly:
Why? What fate befell them?
Why if you are so bold to ask, I will show you! – roared the dragon and he charged at the boy.
Sebastian lifted the sword above his head and cried out:
Sword, sword, sharp and true, mighty sword slice his head in two!
And each of the seven heads of the dragon fell with a thud to the ground.
The next day, when Sebastian was eating his breakfast,
a nine-headed dragon emerged from the waters of the stream,
but it fared no better than the seven-headed dragon before it.
The king could not fathom what had happened.
For until this Sebastian had come along, he had lost a shepherd every day of the year.
I will pay a little mind – thought the king.
We will wait and see what the fates have in store.
Again Sebastian took the flocks out to graze, and he stopped to have a drink from the stream,
when suddenly a twelve-headed dragon emerged from the waters.
How dare you come to this place?
Sebastian drew his sword:
Sword, sword, sharp and true, mighty sword slice his head in two!
When the dragon had but a single head remaining on each shoulders, he begged for mercy:
Oh, Sebastian, Sebastian the dragon slayer, please leave me with this one head, and I swear I will serve you!
So Sebastian led the dragon keep the last of his twelve heads.
Under the bridge there was an enormous cave, and the dragon took Sebastian to its mouth.
Sebastian had never seen anything like it before, it was an empire bigger than the realm of the king.
There Sebastien found the sheep and the shepherds that had been stolen by the dragons.
Come with me to see the king – said Sebastian.
And with that he sliced the dragons last head off.
When he returned to the castle, the king soon realized he was a man of great courage and strength.
He gave Sebastian his daughter's hand in marriage, and with it half of his realm.
I accept your daughter's hand in marriage – said Sebastian.
But your lands you may keep, for I am a lord of a kingdom even finer than yours.
They celebrated their wedding that very day, and they all lived happily ever after.