Rafting in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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An original fairy tale … (Part 1)
There was once a king who had three sons.
The kingdom being surrounded by a bountiful and beautiful nature, it was no surprise that one of the favourite past times of the princes were hunting.
One day, the king’s eldest son went on a hunt.
With his faithful horse beside him, the prince was walking through the woods in search of animals when a wiry rabbit suddenly jumped from the bushes and onto the path in front of him. The rabbit turned and sped away quick as lightning. Without much ado, the prince jumped onto his horse and went after it immediately.
Weaving through the deep forest, the rabbit was always just a step ahead of the prince.
As dusk approach, the rabbit suddenly bolted into a cave amidst the dark forest. Happily thinking that he had the rabbit cornered, the prince went after the rabbit into the cave without hesitation. Instead of the rabbit in the cave, he found a mighty and fierce dragon …. and thus the eldest prince disappeared.
As days passed without the return of the eldest prince, the old monarch grew worried and so he sent his second son on a quest to search for the oldest prince.
While searching for his brother, a rabbit bounded in front of his path. With a wiggle of his bushy tail, the rabbit dashed away.
The second prince couldn’t resist giving chase after the rabbit.
The chase eventually ended with the rabbit slipping into the very same cave and so the second son shared the same fate as his brother.
End of Chapter 1
NB:
- This fairytale was passed down from generations to generations verbally in Bosnia for about 300 years till it was first written down in its language about 300 to 4oo years ago.
- One of the earlier English version of this story was written by Parker Fillmore in 1921, he made it clear that the stories that he collected and edited were not exact translations.
- For the fairytales that globalresidence.me have collected and written in English, while in no way are exact translations too, still my husband and I have kept close to the details as much as possible to show the beauty of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian myriad cultures and values wrapped in these stories.
- The picture above was taken on the mountain Rujiste. The rabbit incorporated into the pictures is typical of the types of rabbits found in this region. Mountains are not only great for winter activities but they are great during hot summers as the air is cooler. With unfamiliar territories, it is always a great idea to have a knowledgeable guide beside you.
Wishing all happy summer and a good day to all. 😎😄
Spread the word! 😉 :
A thirteenth century fairy tale …
13th century fairy tale illustrated by globalresidence.me
Long, long ago, there lived a ruler in the (not so 😉 ) faraway kingdom of Bosnia & Herzegovina.
As a strong and wise ruler, he had everything that any man could ever want in his life, everything that is except for a child.
So one day, this king decided to adopt a child. However, he did not want just any child. Being a wise ruler, he wanted to adopt the most honest child he could find in the land.
There upon, he asked for all the children in the land to be brought before him. And to each child, he gave a seed. He told them that only the child who honestly worked hard at planting the given seed and grew the most beautiful flower will be adopted as his ward.
Many children in the land became very busy planting and soon buds began to appear in their flower pots. All except for one tiny child, who started crying because he could not see anything grow from his flower pot.
This child had been working very hard planting and watering the seed but nothing grew in his pot.
His mother wiped his tears gently away and told him to try again by putting it into another bigger pot. He tried again and again but to no avail.
Soon the king summoned all the children to bring their plants before him. All the children proudly showed him their beautiful and splendid flowers. All save the little boy, who was now sobbing very hard.
The king asked the boy why he was crying. The little boy trembled in fear, thinking he had failed in his task. He told the king fearfully that he had tried many times. He had also replanted the seed in different pots but  it still wouldn’t grow.
Smiling and holding the tiny hand of the little boy, the king led him gently to the front of the waiting crowd. He announced to them that this would be the chosen child. Everyone gasped in surprise and wondered.
The king explained that all the seeds given were cooked seeds and therefore could not have grown into plants and bear flowers. Thus, he had chosen the little boy  as the child he wanted to adopt.
All in the land wondered and rejoiced for having such a wise ruler. As for the little boy…. . Well, he grew up to be another wise and strong ruler. Â Perhaps another story then…..
The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. – Dwight D Eisenhower
Ps- This story was passed down from generations to generations since 13th century and was recently written in the local language. Hope you enjoy my translation of this old tale. Wishing all a great week ahead. 🙂
