Fairy Tales From Many Lands
Copyright© 2024 by Katharine Pyle
The Sun and the Moon
From Turkish Legends
ONCE upon a time the Sun made up his mind that he would like to get married. Far and near he journeyed, all over the round world and looked upon many fair maidens and princesses, but not one was beautiful enough to be his bride.
As he came home after his wanderings, he looked up at a window of the palace, and there sat his sister, the beautiful Helen, looking out. Her face, like the Sun’s, was ruddy; her hair like his was as shining as gold. There was no one in all the world to compare with her in beauty.
“Come down and greet me, beautiful Helen,” he cried, “for you and you only are worthy to be my bride.”
But when the fair Helen heard this she was horrified. “Such a thing must not be,” said she. “A brother may not marry his sister, for that would be an offense to heaven.”
The Sun, however, would not listen to her; he was determined to make her his bride, and to this end he summoned the best workmen from all over the world, some to make magnificent robes, some to prepare a feast, and gold and silver smiths and dealers in precious stones.
The beautiful Helen, however, wept and wept with grief.
Now there was in the palace of the Sun an old nurse who had nursed both him and his sister, and when she saw how, day after day, the beautiful Helen was melting away with grief, she said to her: “Why should you be so sad? You know how I love you, and that I have much knowledge of magic. If you asked me perhaps I might help you.”
“Oh, my dear nurse, do but save me from this marriage and you can ask of me nothing that I will not give you.”
“Leave it to me; leave it to me,” said the old woman. “Are you not my nursling?”
So the next time the Sun came to see his sister the old woman changed her into a little cake, and hid her under the ashes as if to bake.
In came the Sun and looked about him. “Good nurse, I am tired and hungry,” said he. “Have you nothing here for me to eat?”
“There is bread and wine yonder on the shelf.”
“Nay, I know of something that suits me better than that,” said the Sun, and he uncovered the white cake that lay among the ashes and made as though to eat it.
“Oh, my brother, spare me!” cried the cake.
“What!” cried the Sun, pretending to be very much surprised. “Can it be that this is not a cake at all, but the beautiful Helen, who has taken this form?”
Then Helen was obliged to take her own form again, and so beautiful did she appear with the silvery ashes powdering her golden hair that the Sun was more determined upon the marriage than ever.
After he had gone, Helen began to reproach the nurse because her magic had been of so little avail.
“Do not grieve to death because of that,” said the old woman, “for I have better magic than that in my head. The next time the Sun comes to visit you we will be in the garden and I will change you into a blade of grass, and among all the other blades he will be sure not to find you.”
So the next day the old woman and her nursling were sitting out in the garden, and presently they knew, by the golden glow in the sky, that the Sun was coming to look for his sister. Then the old nurse changed her into a blade of grass, and no one could have told her from all the other blades in the garden.
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