The Tailor And The Leshy
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Legend & Mythology
Legend & Mythology
Based upon the Slavic legend. Be careful of what you wish for, for it may be granted by someone not so virtuous, as a tailor will discover when he meets an eccentric patron.
Written by Mélodie Rivers; first draft published November 22 2014
Written by Mélodie Rivers; first draft published November 22 2014
Are you well seated? Good. Let me tell you about the real reason why one fears so much the forest. It has one name: the leshy. Not especially terrifying a name, I admit, but you don't want to be travelling alone in a forest hosting such a creature. Especially not if you are a girl. Or a baby. Okay, why would a baby walk alone in a forest, I don't know; you are kind of asking for trouble if you let it do that.
What is a leshy, you are right now probably asking. A leshy is a forest spirit, very mischievous, and a shape-shifter. Born of a demon and a female human, a leshy cast no shadow; his skin is veined of blue, due to his blue blood, and is as rough as the strongest oak. Since he is a shape-shifter, the easiest way of recognizing a leshy is to look at his feet: his shoes will be on the wrong feet.
Finally, why do I say to never go in a forest alone, especially if you're a girl or a baby? Because a leshy will often kidnap you... and do unspeakable things. And if you're a baby, he will kidnap you, and replace you with an ugly spirit baby. Imagine the reaction of your parents when they see that creature in your crib instead of you!
Now, there's a bit of good news. In October, the leshy always disappear from the forest. Some die during that time, but most usually go into hibernation, waiting for spring to appear. So for the moment, until spring, do not fear the forest. The leshy will not trouble you.
But let's talk about an human who did got troubled by a leshy, the foolish one. Are you ready? Then let's begin our story, one which happened a long time ago, in the city of Kazan.
Life was hard for many residents in Kazan, but no one was more affected than a young yet very talented itinerant tailor. He walked the streets far and wide, but no one could afford right now a tailor, no matter the low payment he was willing to receive in return. So our tailor found himself unemployed; his clothes became ragged, his skin was dirty, and he became dangerously thin, for he lacked money to buy enough food and water.
So despaired was he, that on that fateful day, he sat heavily in the street, and cried aloud:
"Even if a leshy would ask me to sew something, I would do it!"
Immediately after uttering those words, a hand touched his shoulder. Startled, our tailor rose on his feet and turned to face an elderly man. The stranger is smiling compassionately, and ask, concerned:
"What is it, my boy? Why are you so sad in this yet beautiful city?"
"Because no one can afford to pay me. With all the worries, a tailor is the last thing that this city need, and here I am, starving and more than poor as a result," the tailor cried in despair.
"How good are you, my boy?" the elderly man asked kindly, resting lazily on his walking staff.
"Very good, sir," our tailor answered proudly. "The best of my class."
"Tell you what," the stranger replied, taking a step ahead of the tailor, "come with me at my home. I have a sheepskin that needs to be repaired. Do you think you can do something with it? I'll pay you to your just reward."
The tailor quickly agreed, and the elderly man lead the way, taking the young man to a nearby farm. Upon arriving, an elderly woman came out of the house and greeted them both.
"This is my wife," the elderly man absently presented, walking toward a barn.
"Ma'am," the tailor politely saluted, touching the tip of his ragged hat.
"There it is," the elderly man victoriously shouted from inside the barn, soon after walking out and holding a rather old and scratched sheepskin. "What do you think?"
The tailor expertly inspected the sheepskin, testing the fabric, and smiled satisfactorily:
"That would be more than easy to repair, sir; I have repaired worse damaged fabrics than this one."
"Good! Then I'll leave it to your expert hands," the stranger happily clamoured. "Come, my wife."
But just before leaving to join her husband, the elderly woman walked to the tailor, and spoke softly, as if what she was about to say was a secret:
"Young man, be most careful. Do not ever cut the feet of the sheepskin. Many tailors have come to this house, but none did the work properly. And my husband can be sometimes very mean when he is angry."
And before our tailor could reply, she hurriedly left him, and joined her husband in the house. Puzzled, the tailor nonetheless followed her instructions, and gave extra care to not cut the feet of the sheepskin while repairing the damaged areas.
In the evening, he knocked at the stranger's house, and when the door front opened, announced that he was done. The elderly couple followed him, and upon seeing the now new-looking sheepskin, the stranger clapped the tailor's shoulder in joy.
"Marvellous work, my boy. Absolutely marvellous!"
The tailor discreetly sighed of relief, while the elderly man smiled widely. He then added:
"Since you are such a fine tailor, would you mind sewing me a matching pair of hat and mittens, please? It is for my lovely grandchildren. In return, I know it isn't much, but the barn is well warmed during the night, clean, and will be more than an adequate lodge for you until your work is done. Also, I will personally make sure that you are properly fed."
The tailor immediately agreed to the request, as free lodges and meals did not come easily to him until now.
Months passed, and when the tailor satisfied once more the elderly man's request, another would come immediately after. But even after all that work, our tailor never received his payments. One day, while alone with the stranger's wife, as she seemed so caring, he confessed to her his troubled mind.
"Perhaps this will help," the elderly woman advised him. "When he will come to you for an accounting of your work, answer him with this simple statement: 'You know what I have done for you and the quality and value of my work.' "
The next evening, the stranger asked indeed the tailor about his work. Following the woman's advice, our tailor answered exactly what she told him.
"You are perfectly right," the elderly man agreed. "Wait here for a moment."
Upon that he disappeared in his house, and shortly after, came back out, this time with a beautiful young maiden, not far from the tailor's age.
"This is your payment: the young damsel will become your wife, and her dowry will be a golden coach with three magnificent horses to pull it."
Speechless, the tailor thanked warmly the strangers who brought good luck to his life, and welcomed kindly the young maiden, who smiled shyly, smitten by his kindness.
"Come, my lady," the tailor softly told her, "we must meet my parents, so that they can agree to your wedding."
Upon that, he and the maiden rode the golden carriage into the heart of the city of Kazan, to the house of his parents, whom he had not seen for more than three years.
Words spread through the city upon the sudden luck of the otherwise unknown tailor, but it wasn't long until a village elder stopped the carriage, and clamoured loudly how the carriage's horses were his, and that the tailor stole them. During the ensuing confusion, our tailor wished hard that the elderly man who gave him the horses could be with him at this moment, for only him could explain the situation. But just as he wished so, the elderly man did indeed appeared by his side, a mischievous smile on his face. In an instant, he shape-shifted into a small creature, his skin tinged of blue, and the tailor realized for the first time that the stranger who helped him never had a shadow. The leshy smiled broadly, took the young maiden in the carriage by the arm, and walked to the village elder:
"Shame on you, sir. You recognize your horses, but you don't
even recognize your very own daughter."
The village elder gasped in shock as some familiar traits of the maiden sprang to life. But the leshy took no heed of his reaction, and continued, speaking to the entire village and to the father at the same time:
"You left her alone under an oak tree in the forest, and I took her many years ago. She has lived with me ever since, and the young man whom you have called a robber will soon be your son-in-law!"
On that, the leshy cackled with glee, and he disappeared as instantly as he appeared, leaving the village elder and his daughter alone with the silent tailor. The father hugged his daughter tightly, constantly whispering how sorry he was to have lost her, and how he looked everywhere for her, but could not find her. The tailor approached them:
"Sir, when I made this deal with the stranger, I had no idea he was the famed leshy, nor that the maiden was your kidnapped daughter. I will break the engagement immediately."
"Nonsense," the village elder smiled, as his daughter made a slight sign. "You are a brave man, and the least I can do for the saviour of my daughter, one who is cunning enough to defeat the leshy, is to marry my daughter. Come with me, young man; a wedding feast is in order!"
And upon that, the next day, in Kazan, the greatest wedding feast happened, one in which the tailor was granted gifts worthy of a king; during this time, the leshy observed amusingly the festivities, and with a mischievous laugh, vanished into his forest, in a quest for another victim.
**
As you see, a leshy can both be quite annoying, but also, very cunning. So watch out when you wish for something impossible, and someone mysteriously appears, and grants it for you. He might not be who you think he is...
What is a leshy, you are right now probably asking. A leshy is a forest spirit, very mischievous, and a shape-shifter. Born of a demon and a female human, a leshy cast no shadow; his skin is veined of blue, due to his blue blood, and is as rough as the strongest oak. Since he is a shape-shifter, the easiest way of recognizing a leshy is to look at his feet: his shoes will be on the wrong feet.
Finally, why do I say to never go in a forest alone, especially if you're a girl or a baby? Because a leshy will often kidnap you... and do unspeakable things. And if you're a baby, he will kidnap you, and replace you with an ugly spirit baby. Imagine the reaction of your parents when they see that creature in your crib instead of you!
Now, there's a bit of good news. In October, the leshy always disappear from the forest. Some die during that time, but most usually go into hibernation, waiting for spring to appear. So for the moment, until spring, do not fear the forest. The leshy will not trouble you.
But let's talk about an human who did got troubled by a leshy, the foolish one. Are you ready? Then let's begin our story, one which happened a long time ago, in the city of Kazan.
Life was hard for many residents in Kazan, but no one was more affected than a young yet very talented itinerant tailor. He walked the streets far and wide, but no one could afford right now a tailor, no matter the low payment he was willing to receive in return. So our tailor found himself unemployed; his clothes became ragged, his skin was dirty, and he became dangerously thin, for he lacked money to buy enough food and water.
So despaired was he, that on that fateful day, he sat heavily in the street, and cried aloud:
"Even if a leshy would ask me to sew something, I would do it!"
Immediately after uttering those words, a hand touched his shoulder. Startled, our tailor rose on his feet and turned to face an elderly man. The stranger is smiling compassionately, and ask, concerned:
"What is it, my boy? Why are you so sad in this yet beautiful city?"
"Because no one can afford to pay me. With all the worries, a tailor is the last thing that this city need, and here I am, starving and more than poor as a result," the tailor cried in despair.
"How good are you, my boy?" the elderly man asked kindly, resting lazily on his walking staff.
"Very good, sir," our tailor answered proudly. "The best of my class."
"Tell you what," the stranger replied, taking a step ahead of the tailor, "come with me at my home. I have a sheepskin that needs to be repaired. Do you think you can do something with it? I'll pay you to your just reward."
The tailor quickly agreed, and the elderly man lead the way, taking the young man to a nearby farm. Upon arriving, an elderly woman came out of the house and greeted them both.
"This is my wife," the elderly man absently presented, walking toward a barn.
"Ma'am," the tailor politely saluted, touching the tip of his ragged hat.
"There it is," the elderly man victoriously shouted from inside the barn, soon after walking out and holding a rather old and scratched sheepskin. "What do you think?"
The tailor expertly inspected the sheepskin, testing the fabric, and smiled satisfactorily:
"That would be more than easy to repair, sir; I have repaired worse damaged fabrics than this one."
"Good! Then I'll leave it to your expert hands," the stranger happily clamoured. "Come, my wife."
But just before leaving to join her husband, the elderly woman walked to the tailor, and spoke softly, as if what she was about to say was a secret:
"Young man, be most careful. Do not ever cut the feet of the sheepskin. Many tailors have come to this house, but none did the work properly. And my husband can be sometimes very mean when he is angry."
And before our tailor could reply, she hurriedly left him, and joined her husband in the house. Puzzled, the tailor nonetheless followed her instructions, and gave extra care to not cut the feet of the sheepskin while repairing the damaged areas.
In the evening, he knocked at the stranger's house, and when the door front opened, announced that he was done. The elderly couple followed him, and upon seeing the now new-looking sheepskin, the stranger clapped the tailor's shoulder in joy.
"Marvellous work, my boy. Absolutely marvellous!"
The tailor discreetly sighed of relief, while the elderly man smiled widely. He then added:
"Since you are such a fine tailor, would you mind sewing me a matching pair of hat and mittens, please? It is for my lovely grandchildren. In return, I know it isn't much, but the barn is well warmed during the night, clean, and will be more than an adequate lodge for you until your work is done. Also, I will personally make sure that you are properly fed."
The tailor immediately agreed to the request, as free lodges and meals did not come easily to him until now.
Months passed, and when the tailor satisfied once more the elderly man's request, another would come immediately after. But even after all that work, our tailor never received his payments. One day, while alone with the stranger's wife, as she seemed so caring, he confessed to her his troubled mind.
"Perhaps this will help," the elderly woman advised him. "When he will come to you for an accounting of your work, answer him with this simple statement: 'You know what I have done for you and the quality and value of my work.' "
The next evening, the stranger asked indeed the tailor about his work. Following the woman's advice, our tailor answered exactly what she told him.
"You are perfectly right," the elderly man agreed. "Wait here for a moment."
Upon that he disappeared in his house, and shortly after, came back out, this time with a beautiful young maiden, not far from the tailor's age.
"This is your payment: the young damsel will become your wife, and her dowry will be a golden coach with three magnificent horses to pull it."
Speechless, the tailor thanked warmly the strangers who brought good luck to his life, and welcomed kindly the young maiden, who smiled shyly, smitten by his kindness.
"Come, my lady," the tailor softly told her, "we must meet my parents, so that they can agree to your wedding."
Upon that, he and the maiden rode the golden carriage into the heart of the city of Kazan, to the house of his parents, whom he had not seen for more than three years.
Words spread through the city upon the sudden luck of the otherwise unknown tailor, but it wasn't long until a village elder stopped the carriage, and clamoured loudly how the carriage's horses were his, and that the tailor stole them. During the ensuing confusion, our tailor wished hard that the elderly man who gave him the horses could be with him at this moment, for only him could explain the situation. But just as he wished so, the elderly man did indeed appeared by his side, a mischievous smile on his face. In an instant, he shape-shifted into a small creature, his skin tinged of blue, and the tailor realized for the first time that the stranger who helped him never had a shadow. The leshy smiled broadly, took the young maiden in the carriage by the arm, and walked to the village elder:
"Shame on you, sir. You recognize your horses, but you don't
even recognize your very own daughter."
The village elder gasped in shock as some familiar traits of the maiden sprang to life. But the leshy took no heed of his reaction, and continued, speaking to the entire village and to the father at the same time:
"You left her alone under an oak tree in the forest, and I took her many years ago. She has lived with me ever since, and the young man whom you have called a robber will soon be your son-in-law!"
On that, the leshy cackled with glee, and he disappeared as instantly as he appeared, leaving the village elder and his daughter alone with the silent tailor. The father hugged his daughter tightly, constantly whispering how sorry he was to have lost her, and how he looked everywhere for her, but could not find her. The tailor approached them:
"Sir, when I made this deal with the stranger, I had no idea he was the famed leshy, nor that the maiden was your kidnapped daughter. I will break the engagement immediately."
"Nonsense," the village elder smiled, as his daughter made a slight sign. "You are a brave man, and the least I can do for the saviour of my daughter, one who is cunning enough to defeat the leshy, is to marry my daughter. Come with me, young man; a wedding feast is in order!"
And upon that, the next day, in Kazan, the greatest wedding feast happened, one in which the tailor was granted gifts worthy of a king; during this time, the leshy observed amusingly the festivities, and with a mischievous laugh, vanished into his forest, in a quest for another victim.
**
As you see, a leshy can both be quite annoying, but also, very cunning. So watch out when you wish for something impossible, and someone mysteriously appears, and grants it for you. He might not be who you think he is...