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Boy Apprenticed to an Enchanter
Padraic Colum (1881-1972) was an Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, biographer and collector of folklore. He was one of the leading figures of the Celtic Revival. At the age of seventeen, he passed an exam for and was awarded a clerkship in the Irish Railway Clearing House. He stayed in this job until 1903. During this period, Colum started to write and met a number of the leading Irish writers of the time. His earliest published poems appeared in The United Irishman. His first book, Wild Earth (1907) collected many of these poems. In 1911 he founded the short-lived literary journal The Irish Review. In 1914, Colum travelled to the USA where he took up children's writing and published a number of collections of stories for children, beginning with The King of Ireland's Son (1916). In 1922 he started writing novels. Amongst his other works are Three Plays (1916), The Boy Who Knew What the Birds Said (1918), The Children of Odin: The Book of Northern Myths (1920) and The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles (1921).
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First published January 1, 1920
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Padraic Colum
335 books70 followersPadraic Colum was an Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, biographer and collector of folklore. He was one of the leading figures of the Celtic Revival. (Source)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 9, 2017
I don't remember where I first saw Padraic Colum mentioned, but it was many years ago. I never did see anything written by him until I discovered Project Gutenberg. Then of course it took some time to get around to reading one of his titles.
Colum was an author, playwright, and collector of folklore, among many other talents. He often took traditional tales and re-told them in his own manner, which explains why The Boy Apprenticed To An Enchanter will remind you of Scheherezade's story-telling in One Thousand And One Nights.
"As for the youth who had tried to steal the white horse that the King owned, he was bound hand and foot and taken into the castle of the King. There he was thrown down beside the trestles of the great table, and the hot wax from the candles that lighted the supper board dripped down upon him. And it was told to him that at the morrow’s sunrise he would be slain with the sword.
Then the King called upon one to finish the story that was being told when the neigh of the white horse was heard in the stable. The story could not be finished for him, however, because the one who had been telling it was now outside, guarding the iron door of the stable with a sword in his hand. And King Manus, sitting at the supper board, could not eat nor refresh himself because there was no one at hand to finish the story for him.
And that is the way that the story of The Boy Apprenticed to an Enchanter used to begin.
But first I shall have to tell you about King Manus and his three horses."
You see, in those days if anyone asked a king for a gift that king was expected to give it immediately. But King Manus did not want anyone to ask him for one of his three wonderful horses, so he had them guarded in a locked stable, and he had a servant who never allowed anyone with a request into the royal presence.
When you read about the horses, you can certainly understand both why King Manus of the Western Island cherished them, as well as why others coveted them.
"The white horse was as swift as the plunging wave of the sea, the red horse was as swift as fire in the heather, and the speed of the black horse was such that he could overtake the wind of March that was before him, and the wind of March that was behind could not overtake him."
Meanwhile, back to that youth, who is of course, our hero Eean, the boy apprentice. The last part of this prologue sets up the telling of his story, and all because King Manus was unable to eat or drink without hearing a tale.
"Then the youth was taken from where he lay by the trestles of the table, and the cords that bound him were loosened. He was put in the story-teller’s place and fresh candles were lighted and set upon the table.
“Your danger is great,” said the King, “and it will be hard for you to show us that you were ever in such danger before. Begin your story. And if it is not a story of a narrow and a close escape there will be little time left for you to prepare for your death by the sword.”
Thereupon the youth in the foreign dress looked long into the wine cup that was handed him, and he drank a draught of the wine, and he saluted the King and the lords who sat by the King, and he said:
“Once I was in greater danger, for its mouth was close to me, and no hope whatever was given me of my saving my life. I will tell the story, and you shall judge whether my danger then was greater than is my danger now.”
And thereupon the youth in the foreign dress, who had tried to steal the white horse that King Manus owned, began the story which is set down here in the very words in which he told it."
And we are treated to a wonderful fantasy tale, with genii, warring magicians, greedy kings, brass boats, a Magic Mirror, the Tower in Babylon, narrow escapes, and a girl named Bird-Of-Gold (who will also tell her story a bit later). The adventure was great fun to read, beautifully told, and a wonderful introduction to Colum's work. I will certainly be reading more!
Colum was an author, playwright, and collector of folklore, among many other talents. He often took traditional tales and re-told them in his own manner, which explains why The Boy Apprenticed To An Enchanter will remind you of Scheherezade's story-telling in One Thousand And One Nights.
"As for the youth who had tried to steal the white horse that the King owned, he was bound hand and foot and taken into the castle of the King. There he was thrown down beside the trestles of the great table, and the hot wax from the candles that lighted the supper board dripped down upon him. And it was told to him that at the morrow’s sunrise he would be slain with the sword.
Then the King called upon one to finish the story that was being told when the neigh of the white horse was heard in the stable. The story could not be finished for him, however, because the one who had been telling it was now outside, guarding the iron door of the stable with a sword in his hand. And King Manus, sitting at the supper board, could not eat nor refresh himself because there was no one at hand to finish the story for him.
And that is the way that the story of The Boy Apprenticed to an Enchanter used to begin.
But first I shall have to tell you about King Manus and his three horses."
You see, in those days if anyone asked a king for a gift that king was expected to give it immediately. But King Manus did not want anyone to ask him for one of his three wonderful horses, so he had them guarded in a locked stable, and he had a servant who never allowed anyone with a request into the royal presence.
When you read about the horses, you can certainly understand both why King Manus of the Western Island cherished them, as well as why others coveted them.
"The white horse was as swift as the plunging wave of the sea, the red horse was as swift as fire in the heather, and the speed of the black horse was such that he could overtake the wind of March that was before him, and the wind of March that was behind could not overtake him."
Meanwhile, back to that youth, who is of course, our hero Eean, the boy apprentice. The last part of this prologue sets up the telling of his story, and all because King Manus was unable to eat or drink without hearing a tale.
"Then the youth was taken from where he lay by the trestles of the table, and the cords that bound him were loosened. He was put in the story-teller’s place and fresh candles were lighted and set upon the table.
“Your danger is great,” said the King, “and it will be hard for you to show us that you were ever in such danger before. Begin your story. And if it is not a story of a narrow and a close escape there will be little time left for you to prepare for your death by the sword.”
Thereupon the youth in the foreign dress looked long into the wine cup that was handed him, and he drank a draught of the wine, and he saluted the King and the lords who sat by the King, and he said:
“Once I was in greater danger, for its mouth was close to me, and no hope whatever was given me of my saving my life. I will tell the story, and you shall judge whether my danger then was greater than is my danger now.”
And thereupon the youth in the foreign dress, who had tried to steal the white horse that King Manus owned, began the story which is set down here in the very words in which he told it."
And we are treated to a wonderful fantasy tale, with genii, warring magicians, greedy kings, brass boats, a Magic Mirror, the Tower in Babylon, narrow escapes, and a girl named Bird-Of-Gold (who will also tell her story a bit later). The adventure was great fun to read, beautifully told, and a wonderful introduction to Colum's work. I will certainly be reading more!
September 13, 2020
A short and comfy read. Highly recommend.
January 31, 2015
Eean, a fisherman's son and late an enchanter's apprentice, is caught trying to steal a king's marvelous horse. To stave off execution, he relates the events that led up to the attempted theft, and halfway through his tale, someone else breaks into the stable...
The author is Irish, but this has never struck me as a particularly Irish story--more a mix of many different fairy tales and legends. Not a criticism; it's a lovely meld, and the story doesn't fall into a predictable pattern. The structure is also a bit unusual.
It's got a nicely strong heroine--she rescues the hero at least once--and while the illustrations don't do anything for me, they're lavish and fitting.
The author is Irish, but this has never struck me as a particularly Irish story--more a mix of many different fairy tales and legends. Not a criticism; it's a lovely meld, and the story doesn't fall into a predictable pattern. The structure is also a bit unusual.
It's got a nicely strong heroine--she rescues the hero at least once--and while the illustrations don't do anything for me, they're lavish and fitting.
March 5, 2012
Charming - a story children would enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews