King Arthur and the witch
Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a
neighbouring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him, but was
moved by Arthur's youthful happiness. So he offered him freedom, as long as he
could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out
the answer; if, after a year, he still had no answer, he
would be put to death.
The question was: What do women really want?
Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and, to young
Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. Well, since it was better than death, he
accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by the year's end.
He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everybody: the princess,
the prostitutes, the priests, the wise men, the court jester. In all, he
spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.
What most people did tell him was to consult the old witch, as only
she would know the answer. The price would be high, since the witch
was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she
charged.
The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no alternative but
to talk to the witch.
She agreed to answer his question, but he'd have to accept her price
first: The old witch wanted to marry Gawain, the most noble of the
Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!
Young
Arthur was horrified: she was hunchbacked and awfully hideous,
had only one tooth, smelled like sewage water, often made obscene
noises...etc. He had never run across such a repugnant creature.
He refused to force his friend to marry her and have to endure such
a burden.
Gawain, upon learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He told him
that nothing was too big a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and
the preservation of the Round Table. Hence, their wedding was
proclaimed, and the witch answered Arthur's question:
What a woman really wants is to be able to be in charge of her own
life.
Everyone instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that
Arthur's life would be spared. And so it went. The neighbouring
monarch spared Arthur's life and granted him total freedom.
What a wedding Gawain and the witch had! Arthur was torn between relief and anguish. Gawain was proper as always, gentle and courteous.
The old
witch put her worst manners on display, and generally made
everyone very uncomfortable.
The wedding night approached: Gawain, steeling himself for a
horrific night, entered the bedroom. What a sight awaited! The most
beautiful woman he'd ever seen lay before him! Gawain was astounded and asked
what had happened. The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her
(when she'd been a witch), half the time she would be her horrible, deformed
self, and the other half, she would be her beautiful maiden self. Which would
he want her to be during the day, and which during the night?
What a cruel question! Gawain began to think of his predicament:
During the day a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at
night, in the privacy of his home, an old spooky witch? Or would he
prefer having by day a hideous witch, but by night a beautiful
woman to enjoy many intimate moments?
What would you do? What Gawain chose follows below, but don't
read until you've made your own choice.
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Noble Gawain replied that he would let her choose for herself.
Upon
hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the
time, because he had respected her and had let her be in charge
of her own life.
What is the moral of this story?
The moral is that it doesn't matter if your woman is pretty or
ugly, underneath it all, she's still a witch---and don't you forget it!
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