Mogarzea and his Son facts for kids

Mogarzea and his Son is a fairy tale from Romania. It was collected by Andrew Lang and published in his book, The Violet Fairy Book. The story was originally written down by Mite Kremnitz in her collection Rumänische Märchen, which means "Romanian Fairy Tales." This exciting tale tells about a clever boy who helps a giant named Mogarzea and finds love.

Illustration by H. J. Ford from Andrew Lang's Fairy Books

The Story of Mogarzea and His Son

The story begins with a young boy. His parents passed away, and he was left with a guardian. Sadly, the guardian spent all of the boy's money. So, the boy decided to leave and find his own way in the world.

Meeting a Giant Friend

As the boy traveled, he met a huge giant. The boy was very clever. He lay down to sleep next to the giant. In the morning, he pretended to be the giant's son, saying he was born during the night. The giant believed him!

That day, the boy helped the giant by looking after his sheep. In the evening, the boy asked the giant to tell him his life story. The giant's name was Mogarzea. He was actually an emperor's son.

Mogarzea's Missing Soul

Mogarzea told the boy a sad tale. He was on his way to Sweet Milk Lake. He planned to marry one of the three beautiful fairies who lived there. But evil elves had stolen his soul. This meant Mogarzea was not truly himself. He needed his soul back to be whole again.

A Clever Plan Against the Elves

The boy was careful to keep Mogarzea's sheep away from the elves' special meadows. But one day, while he was playing his flute, one sheep wandered off. Soon, other sheep followed it into the elves' land.

When the boy tried to get the sheep back, the elves appeared. They made him play his flute for them. They loved to dance to his music! The elves let him go home that night. But they insisted he come back the next day to play for them again.

Tricking the Elves

The next evening, the boy had a plan. He "accidentally" dropped his flute and stepped on it. He pretended to be very sad. He told the elves that his flute was special. It was made from the heart of a cherry tree.

The elves felt bad and offered him another cherry tree. The boy agreed. He began to chop the tree. He tricked the elves into putting their fingers into the cuts in the wood. Then, he quickly pulled his ax out. The elves were trapped!

Finding Mogarzea's Soul

With the elves stuck, the boy demanded to know where Mogarzea's soul was hidden. The elves had no choice but to tell him. The boy quickly found Mogarzea's soul and brought it back. Mogarzea became himself again!

The boy and Mogarzea then took the tree, with the trapped elves, back to Mogarzea's father's royal court.

Marrying a Fairy

At the court, the boy asked Mogarzea how he could marry a fairy from Sweet Milk Lake. Mogarzea told him the secret.

The boy went to the lake and played his flute. A beautiful fairy appeared and danced to his music. He returned for two more days, playing his flute. On the third day, he plucked a rose from her hair. He refused to give it back, even though she begged him. Because he kept the rose, she had to marry him!

They were married at the emperor's court. Every year after that, the boy, his wife, and their children would return to Sweet Milk Lake to bathe.