University of Virginia Library

L.—KURENT AND MAN.

Kurent and man contended which should rule the earth.
Neither Kurent would yield to man nor man to Kurent, for
he (man) was so gigantic—he wouldn't even have noticed it,
if nine of the people of the present day had danced up and

down his nostrils. `Come,' said Kurent, `let us see which
is the stronger; whether it is I or you that is to rule the
earth. Yonder is a broad sea; the one that springs across
it best shall have both the earth and all that is on the other
side of the sea, and that is, in faith, a hundred times more
valuable than this wilderness.' Man agreed. Kurent took
off his coat and jumped across the sea, so that just one foot
was wetted when he sprang on to dry land. Now he began
to jeer at the man; but the man held his tongue, didn't get
out of temper, neither did he take off his coat, but stepped
without effort and quite easily over the sea, as over a brook,
and came on to dry land without even wetting a foot. `I'm
the stronger,' said man to Kurent; `see how my foot is
dry and yours is wet.' `The first time you have overcome
me,' answered Kurent; `yours are the plains, yours is the
sea, and what is beyond the sea; but that isn't all the earth,
there is also some beneath us and above us; come, then,
let us see a second time which is the stronger.' Kurent
stood on a hollow rock, and stamped on it with his foot,
so that it burst with a noise like thunder, and split in pieces.
The rock broke up, and a cavern was seen where dragons
were brooding. Now the man also stamped, and the earth
quaked and broke up right to the bottom, just where pure
gold flowed like a broad river, and the dragons fell down
and were drowned in the river. `This trial, too, is yours,'
said Kurent; `but I don't acknowledge you emperor till you
overpower me in a third fierce contest. Yonder is a very
lofty mountain. It rises above the clouds; it reaches to the
celestial table, where the cock sits and watches God's provisions.
Now, then, take you an arrow and shoot, and so
will I; the one which shoots highest is the stronger, and
his is the earth, and all that is beneath and above it.'
Kurent shot, and his arrow wasn't back for eight days; then
the man shot, and his arrow flew for nine days, and when,
on the tenth day, it fell, the celestial cock that guarded God's
provisions fell also, spitted upon it. `You are emperor,'
said cunning Kurent. `I make obeisance to you, as befits
a subject.' But the man was good-natured, and made a
covenant of adoptive brotherhood with Kurent, and went
off to enjoy his imperial dignity. Kurent, too, went off, but
he was annoyed that the man had put him to shame; where
he could not prevail by strength, he determined to succeed
by craft. `You are a hero, man,' he would say, `I am
witness thereto; but beware of me, if you are a hero also
in simplicity; I go to bring you a gift, that I have devised
entirely by myself.'

He said and squeezed the vine, his stick, and pure red wine
burst out of it. `Here's a gift for you; now, then, where
are you?' He found the man on the earth the other side
of the sea, where he was enjoying a bowl of sweet stir-about.
`What are you doing, my lord?' said Kurent. `I've
mixed a bowl of stirabout from white wheat and red fruit,
and, see, here I am eating it and drinking water.' `My
poor lord! you are emperor of the world and drinking
water! hand me a cup, that I may present you with better
drink, which I, your humble servant, have prepared for you
myself.' The man was deceived, took the cup with red
wine, and drank some of it. `Thank you, adopted brother;
you are very kind, but your drink is naught.' Kurent was
disgusted, went off again, and thought and thought how to
cheat the man. Again he squeezed his stick, again red
wine burst forth from it, but Kurent did not allow it to
remain pure, but the rascal mixed hellebore with it, which
Vilas and prophetesses pluck by moonlight to nourish
themselves with. A second time he went in search of the
man, and found him at the bottom of the earth, where the
pure gold was flowing like a broad river. `What are you
doing, my lord?' asked Kurent. `I am getting myself a

golden shirt, and I am tired and very thirsty; but there's
no water here, and it's a long way to the world—seven years'
journey.' `I am at your service,' said Kurent; `here's a
cup of wine for you; better never saw the red sun.' The
man was deceived, took it, and drank it up. `Thank you,
Kurent; you are good, and your drink is good, too.' Kurent
was going to pour him out a fresh cupful, but the man
would not allow it, for his nature was still sober and
sensible. Kurent was disgusted, and went off to see whether
he could not devise something better. For the third time
he squeezed his stick; wine burst out more strongly, but
this time it did not remain pure nor without sin. The
rascal applied an arrow, opened a vein and let some black
blood flow into the wine. Again he went in search of the
man, and found him on the high mountain at God's table,
where he was feasting on roast meat, which had not been
roasted for him, but for God himself. `What are you
doing, my lord?' asked Kurent in amazement and joy, when
he saw that the man was sinning abominably. `Here I
am, sitting and eating roast meat; but take yourself off, for
I am afraid of God, lest he should come up and smite me.'
`Never fear!' was Kurent's advice; `how do you like God's
roast meat?' `It's nice, but it's heavy. I can scarcely
swallow it.' `I am at your service,' said Kurent; `here is
wine for you, the like of which isn't on earth or in heaven,
but only with me.' The third time the man was deceived,
but cruelly. `Thank you, Kurent,' he said; `you are good,
but your drink is better; draw me some more, as becomes
a faithful servant.' Kurent did so, and the man's eye
became dim and his mind became dim, and he thought no
more of God, but remained at table. Suddenly God returned,
and seeing the man dozing and eating roast meat at
his table, became angry, and smote him down the mountain
with his mighty hand, where he lay, half dead, for
many years, all bruised and hurt. When he got well again
his strength had diminished; he could neither step across
the sea, nor go down to the bottom of the earth, nor uphill
to the celestial table. Thus Kurent ruled the world
and man, and mankind have been weak and dwarfed from
that time forth.