June 11. Story of the Day: Hungry Giant

Here is another story that Suniti Namjoshi has contributed to the project: thank you, Suniti! You can find out more about Suniti Namjoshi's work here, and here are the other stories she has contributed: The Cat Shrine and The Brahmin and his Small Gods.

I am really glad to have a story about a giant; any respectable folklore project needs at least one giant! As you will see, the story is about a chain of unexpected consequences, something like the proverb for want of a nail. With her chain of consequences, the quick-witted mother makes the giant stop and think. Which is hard work for a giant, of course.

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

THE HUNGRY GIANT

by Suniti Namjoshi

A giant, who was looking for something to eat, once came across three small children. He was about to snatch one of them, when their mother shrieked and explained to the giant that that particular child was destined for greatness and would bring great glory to the entire nation.  Surely the giant didn’t want everyone to miss out on that? The giant wasn’t sure whether he cared about glory, but as the woman seemed certain that it was something he should care about, he shrugged and said, “Oh, all right, I’ll take this other child.”

The woman shrieked more loudly than ever. “That child,” she told the giant, “will be able to produce a sack of grain where only one grain grew before.”

This was clearly useful to a hungry giant, so he let the child go.

He seized the third child. He was determined to hang on to this one.  “He looks perfectly ordinary,” the giant told the woman, “and won’t be missed much.”

“You’re right,” she agreed. “The world won’t miss him. But he will do something that will save your life.”

“He can’t save my life,” the giant roared. “He’s a puny thing.”

“That’s true,” said the woman. “But one day he’ll go fishing and catch the fish that would have been caught by the royal chef and served to the king’s only son − that is if my boy hadn’t caught it first.”

“So what?” The giant shrugged.

“Had the king’s son been served the fish, a fishbone would have got stuck in his throat and he would have choked.”

 “And what’s that to me?” the giant retorted.

“Had the king’s son lived, he would have killed a boar that roams through the forest,” the woman continued.

“Who cares about boars?” the giant growled.

“You do,” the woman told him. “Had the prince not killed the boar, that boar would have gored you as you lay asleep.”

“A boar can’t kill me!” the giant scoffed.

“No, but the boar would have wounded you, and a wandering giant would have attacked instantly and slain you on the spot.”

The giant frowned. “What if I kill the boar?” he asked.

“How many boars can you kill?” replied the woman. “It has to be the boar that the prince was destined to kill.”

“What if I caught the fish?” the giant demanded. Then he went on before she could speak, “Yes, all right, how many fish can I catch?  I’m getting confused. What should I do?”

“You should walk away and think things through,” the woman advised him.

And that’s what he did, so that the woman and her three children lived long happy lives, as did the giant, who was vastly relieved that none of the dreadful things that might have happened ever came true.

Photo by Jan Hammershaug: The 46 feet high troll is guarding the entrance to the fairy tale grotto at Hunderfossen Familypark.

CHAIN: giant kills boy, so boy doesn't catch fish; prince chokes on fish, so he doesn't kill boar; boar wounds giant, so another giant kills him