This is post #23 of my penance after I have been blacklisted by Hivewatchers for plagiarizing.
No need to upvote this post, as the payout has been declined.
But comments are welcome. I will continue to upvote all meaningful comments.
THE TWO TWINS
The two brothers separated and went, one towards the rising sun, the other towards the setting sun. For three days and three nights, the eldest walked in a large wood, seeing and hearing nothing except the birds of the sky and the wild beasts. Finally, he came to a city where all the people were mourning and weeping.
“People of the city, why are you in mourning? Why are you crying like this?"
"Stranger, we certainly have every reason to be in mourning and to cry. There is, in the neighboring wood, a Great Beast with seven heads, which takes from us every year the most beautiful of our young daughters. Just yesterday, she told us that she would come and eat us all if we didn't bring her one. By force, we had to obey. This morning, we went to lead a young lady into the woods, as beautiful as the day.
"People of the city, leave mourning and cry no more. I will go into the woods, and if it pleases God, I will kill the Great Beast with seven heads, and I will deliver the damsel."
"God help you, brave young man, and keep you from misfortune."
The eldest twin whistled his dog, took his sword, and set off for the woods at full gallop on his horse. After three hours of running, he found, tied to the foot of a tree, the young lady as beautiful as the day.
“Sir, what did you come to do here? Go back quickly. I hear the cries of the Great Beast with seven heads. You can still run away, while it eats me."
"Young lady, I did not come to escape. I want to kill the Great Beast with seven heads and marry you today. Go! my dog. Earn your oats, my good horse."
For three clock hours, the eldest twin fought the Great Beast with seven heads, and finally pierced it right through. Then he tore out the seven tongues which he put in his handkerchief. Then, with a stroke of his sword, he cut the ropes that bound the young lady and brought her back to the city.
“Brave people, I have killed the Great Beast with seven heads. Now I need this lady for a wife."
"Yes, yes, brave young man. Marry her. You earned it."
The eldest twin immediately took the young lady to the church and married her. The wedding lasted until midnight. At the first bell, everyone went to bed. The next day, at daybreak, the husband woke his wife.
“Woman, get dressed. Let's go for a walk in the countryside."
The lady dressed and followed her husband into the countryside.
“Woman, what is this little house over there? I want to buy it, to rest there when I go hunting."
"Be careful, my good friend. It is a poorly inhabited house. If you went there, something bad would happen to you."
The eldest twin did not respond, but he brought his wife back to the town and came alone to knock at the door of the cottage.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"What are you asking?"
"Open, or I'll break down the door."
"The door is of solid oak and iron, with good locks and strong bolts. You won't break it. If you want to come in, pull a hair from your head and pass it through the cat flap."
The older twin pulled a hair from his head and passed it through the cat flap. Immediately, the earth swallowed him up.
Source: Les Deux Jumeaux, from the French book Contes populaires de la Gascogne, tome 1, published in 1886
Hello, my name is Vincent Celier.
I am writing translations of folk tales that I found in public domain French books, so that people who do not understand French may enjoy them too.
Here we have the story of the eldest of the two twins, from his separation from his brother to his disappearance underground.
Which brother is the eldest of the two tins? The firstborn, or the second?
Depending on where you ask the question, the answer may be different. In most countries, the eldest is the firstborn.
But, apparently, in some parts of Africa, the secondborn is considered the eldest, as the firstborn has "prepared the way" for his brother.
My brother Antoine and his wife Marie-Hélène bought their house in 1985. The house has been built exactly 100 years ago, in 1913.
They are only the second owners in a century, which is very unusual, as it seems that the average duration of owning a house in France is 7 years.
They made extensive renovations to this house.
The previous owners (1923 to 1985) were a family with six boys and one daughter named "Marcelle". This is the reason they nicknamed their house "Villa Marcelle".
In fact, there are two houses. The second house is not as big as the first one. The mother of Marie-Hélène lives there.
In this picture, you can see the two houses viewed from the garden.
And in the back of the garden, there is also another small building that is used mostly for furniture storage.
Tonight, I am going to have dinner with my brother Grégoire, who is a priest in Paris.
-- Vincent Celier