Episode 2: The Glass Mountain

Welcome to Episode 2 of Public Domain Radio: Mythology and Folklore. 

Today I am reading a story from The Polish Fairy Book by Elsie Byrde with illustrations by Livia Kádár. This book was published in 1925 which puts it in the public domain in the United States. You can find the book online at Hathi Trust. 

The book contains 23 stories, and the story I will be reading is called The Glass Mountain. You can listen to the embedded audio file below, or with this audio link.

Laura Gibbs · Public Domain Radio Episode 2 The Glass Mountain

THE GLASS MOUNTAIN

Long, long ago, before ever your great-grandfathers were born, and far, far away in the very heart of Poland, there stood a glass mountain. It was so high that the top touched the clouds, and on its summit stood a castle, and in front of the castle stood an apple-tree, and on the apple-tree grew golden apples. 

And in the castle there was a silver room, and in the silver room a beautiful princess, bewitched and kept a prisoner by a wicked sorceress, lived in solitude and sadness. For how could she be happy, although her cellar was full of precious stones and one room in the castle was full of bags of gold, when she could not walk in the sunshine, or hear the songs of the birds, or smell the sweetness of the flowers? 

Many brave knights, having heard of the beauty and wealth of the princess and of how she was kept a prisoner in the castle, had tried to climb the mountain and rescue her, but before they could come any ways near the top they fell down the steep sides and were killed. And for nearly seven years knight after knight tried, and for nearly seven years the princess watched and hoped that one of them would at last reach the castle and save her. But although they came in hundreds from all corners of the world, her hopes were never realised. 

Three days before the end of the seventh year a knight clad in golden armour, of whom it was said that he succeeded in everything that he tried to do, rode to the mountain on a splendid charger. The people assembled in the valley marvelled to see how his horse's hoofs trod the glassy slopes as easily as the straight, level road. The knight reached the top and was already close to the apple tree, and the heart of the princess was beating with joy as she watched him from her window, when, behold: a gigantic hawk flew out of the tree and flapped its wings in the horse's eyes! The horse snorted and reared, his feet slipped on the glassy surface, and he rolled with his rider down the side of the mountain and both were killed on the spot. 

Two days after this, a student, poor but handsome, strong, young, and wise, came and stood at the foot of the mountain. For a year he had been hearing about the beautiful princess who was imprisoned in the castle and about the knights who had tried to save her, and how each had perished in the attempt. Now he stood looking up at the mountain and at the knight who lay dead in his golden armour with his doughty charger at the foot. He thought for a while, as though trying to make up his mind what to do. 

Then he turned and went into the wood. Here he caught a lynx, killed it, cut off its sharp claws, fixed them on his own hands and feet, and then began to climb the mountain just as the sun rose. 

When the poor student had climbed half-way up he began to feel tired and thirsty. A dark cloud floated over his head, and he begged it to give him some water to drink. But in vain: it passed on without letting so much as a drop fall. 

He looked up, and in order to see the top of the mountain he had to throw back his head so far that his sheepskin cap fell off. He looked down, and it seemed as if certain death awaited him below. And the sun was setting. His strength was exhausted; sleep was closing his eyes. He fastened his claws well into the glassy slopes, reclined, and slept till midnight. 

The hawk, meanwhile, was keeping watch on the apple-tree. As the moon rose and threw its light on the shining slopes, the gigantic bird caught sight of the poor student as he lay asleep. It flapped its wings and flew down to destroy him, but just then the student opened his eyes, and when he saw the bird, he resolved to make use of its strength to help himself. The hawk grasped him with its powerful claws, but he seized its legs. The startled bird began to soar, and flew up until it was right over the castle. 

The student looked down. He saw the castle gleaming in the moonlight; he saw the princess sitting in the silver room sighing and dreaming of the knight who might yet save her; he saw the garden and the apple-tree shining with its golden fruit. Then, taking his knife from his belt, he cut off the legs of the hawk. It flew screeching into a cloud and so disappeared, but the student fell among the branches of the apple-tree. He picked an apple and laid it on the wounds made in his flesh by the hawk's sharp talons: they healed at once. 

Then he filled his pockets with apples and went boldly to the castle, which was guarded by a terrible and fierce dragon. The student flung a handful of apples at this dragon, and it disappeared in a great fright down the side of the mountain; the castle door flew open, and he found himself in a grassy court full of flowers. The princess, sitting at her window, saw him coming, and ran joyfully to welcome her rescuer. She gave him her hand, her heart, and all she possessed. 

The next day, as he and the princess were walking in the garden, they saw a crowd of people gathered at the foot of the mountain. They called a swallow, and bade it fly down and find out who these might be. What was their joy when they learned that they were the knights who had lost their lives in trying to save the princess! The blood of the hawk, dropping on them, had revived them, and they sent their grateful thanks to their deliverer. And the poor student and his wife the princess reigned king and queen of the Glass Mountain, and lived happily together for many, many years. The hawk, who was a wicked sorceress, was found dead in a wood. Thus did a poor student by his wits accomplish what many brave knights failed to do by their strength. 

THE END