Rewards and Fairies - Penn State University

Rewards and Fairies
out of merriness of heart at his warm, waiting meal. He would my knife, and told them all my tale. They said, “It is the
leap—and, oh, his eye in mid-leap when he saw—when he work of a God.” I said, “We talk too much about Gods. Let
saw the knife held ready for him! It pierced his hide as a rush us eat and be happy, and tomorrow I will take you to the
pierces curdled milk. Often he had no time to howl. I did Children of the Night, and each man will find a Magic Knife.”
not trouble to flay any beasts I killed. Sometimes I missed ‘I was glad to smell our sheep again; to see the broad sky
my blow. Then I took my little flint hammer and beat out from edge to edge, and to hear the sea. I slept beneath the
his brains as he cowered. He made no fight. He knew the stars in my cloak. The men talked among themselves.
Knife! But The Beast is very cunning. Before evening all The ‘I led them, the next day, to the Trees, taking with me meat,
Beasts had smelt the blood on my knife, and were running wool, and curdled milk, as I had promised. We found the Magic
from me like hares. They knew! Then I walked as a man Knives laid out on the grass, as the Children of the Night had
should—the Master of The Beast!
promised. They watched us from among the Trees. Their Priest-
‘So came I back to my Mother’s house. There was a lamb ess called to me and said, “How is it with your people?” I said
to be killed. I cut it in two halves with my knife, and I told “Their hearts are changed. I cannot see their hearts as I used to.”
her all my tale. She said, “This is the work of a God.” I kissed She said, “That is because you have only one eye. Come to me
her and laughed. I went to my Maiden who waited for me at and I will be both your eyes.” But I said, “I must show my
the Dew-ponds. There was a lamb to be killed. I cut it in two people how to use their knives against The Beast, as you showed
halves with my knife, and told her all my tale. She said, “It is me how to use my knife.” I said this because the Magic Knife
the work of a God.” I laughed, but she pushed me away, and does not balance like the flint. She said, “What you have done,
being on my blind side, ran off before I could kiss her. I went you have done for the sake of a woman, and not for the sake of
to the Men of the Sheepguard at watering-time. There was a your people.” I asked of her, “Then why did the God accept
sheep to be killed for their meat. I cut it in two halves with my right eye, and why are you so angry?” She answered, “Be-
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