THE SWORD OF SAINT PETER
Source
Once there was a king, as fair as gold, strong and bold as Samson. The poor and rich could ask him for services. The good man never said no. He chatted and laughed with everyone. But if someone killed or stole, the king was done talking and laughing. The judges and the executioner were doing their job.
His wife was beautiful as day, devout as a saint. Every morning, after leaving mass, she gave large alms at the door of her castle. We have never seen, never will we see the like of her, so as not to let the poor and the sick lack anything.
The king and queen had only one son, aged seven. He was as pretty as a heart, wise and obedient like little Jesus.
One day, around midday, the king sat down at the table with his wife and child. Suddenly a general entered the room.
“Hello, King and company."
"Hello, general. Sit there, my friend. You're going to eat soup with us."
"King, this is the wrong time to eat soup. The King of the Pagans arrives, with his entire army. We only have time to prepare for battle."
"General, quickly, gather my soldiers! Ring the bells. Arm all men able to walk. Before nightfall, we will have put the guts of these rascals in the sun. You take care of the officers and soldiers. I take charge of the King of the Pagans.
“King,” said the queen, “do not fight against the King of the Pagans. On him, iron and hardened steel lose all power. He will only die by the sword of Saint Peter. But Saint Peter hid it a long time ago, he will not return from paradise to say where to look for it."
The king began to laugh.
“Woman, soon I will know if they told you the truth. Climb, with our child, to the highest tower of the castle. There you will be at ease, to see me do battle against the King of the Pagans. Come on, servants! Quickly, my horse. Quickly, my spear. Quickly, my tempered steel sword."
Everyone obeys. The king jumped on his horse.
The queen and the child were watching from the castle's highest tower.
"Comrades! Before nightfall, we will have put the guts of these rascals in the sun. You take care of the officers and soldiers. I take charge of the King of the Pagans."
And the king set off forward, at full gallop on his horse.
The queen and the child were watching from the highest tower of the castle.
But the queen had spoken the truth. On the King of the Pagans, iron and hardened steel lost all power. With a blow of his axe, he caused the king's head to fly twenty paces away.
The queen and the child were watching from the highest tower of the castle.
Then the king's soldiers fled in terror, running like hares, and crying like eagles:
“We are betrayed!” We are betrayed!"
The queen and the child were watching from the highest tower of the castle.
They were as pale as a shroud. However, they did not cry. Then the queen took the child by the hands and looked him straight in the eyes.
“Listen, little one. Listen. Soon we will be in the power of the King of the Pagans. I don't want him to kill you. Act like you're deaf and dumb. The King of the Pagans will despise you as a cripple. He will let you live. Remember to never speak to me, never, until I have told you: We are both alone, very alone."
"Mother, you will be obeyed."
Then the queen went down to her room with her child and put on her moon-colored dress. This done, both went to wait for the King of the Pagans at the castle gate. The little one obeyed his mother and acted as if he had been deaf and dumb all his life.
With her moon-colored dress, the queen was so beautiful, so beautiful, that the King of the Pagans immediately fell madly in love with her.
“Queen, I am master of this country. I am the master of this castle."
"King of the Pagans, you will be obeyed."
"Queen, is this child yours?"
"Yes, King of the Pagans, he is mine. The Good Lord made him born deaf and dumb."
Source: L’Épée de saint Pierre, from the French book Contes populaires de la Gascogne, tome 1, published in 1886.
Hello, my name is Vincent Celier.
I am writing translations of folk tales that I found in public domain French books, so that people who do not understand French may enjoy them too.
This is the beginning of a new folk tale: The Sword of Saint Peter.
Like many of these folk tales from Gascony, the main characters are kings and queens, and their children. They are usually extremely good people or extremely bad people. In this table, both the king and the queen are good.
The sword of Saint Peter refers to the event described in the New Testament when Simon Peter, using a sword, cut the ear of Malchus, a servant of the Jewish High Priest Caiaphas.
From Wikipedia:
Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.
Then said Jesus unto Peter, put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
— John 18:10–11
The picture at the top of the post is a copy of Saint Peter's Sword displayed in Poznań Archcathedral in Poland. The original Sword of Peter is a relic that is supposed to be the very sword that was used by Simon Peter.
I was born in France in 1949, so that, at the end of October this year, I will be 74 years old.
Twenty-nine years ago, in 1994, I emigrated to British Columbia, Canada with my four children.
I met my second wife, Kati, in 2008 near Vancouver. She is from Hungary. She emigrated to British Columbia in 1992.
As we are both fully retired, we spend almost half of the year in Europe, mostly in Pécs, in the south of Hungary, where Kati owns a small vineyard and two houses.
I go also to visit my family in France. I have 9 living siblings, 7 brothers and 2 sisters.
In fact, I will drive to France on October 1st and I will return to Pécs by airplane on October 15th.
Then, on November 15th, we will both return to Canada, Kati and me.
-- Vincent Celier