Ewen Congar

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a poor widower and his son. His name was Ewen Congar. All his wealth consisted of a small patch of land that he worked himself, two cows, and a horse. His son was also named Ewen, like his father, and he was a lively and clever boy who was about to turn ten. One day, the boy said to his father:

"Father, send me to school to study."

"How can I send you, my son? You know I am poor and cannot afford to pay for your education."

"Then sell one of the cows."

The father sold one of the cows at the fair and used the money to send his son to school.

The boy studied well, and his teachers were very pleased with him. But after a year, Ewen had to sell the second cow, and then the horse, to pay for his son's education.

In three years, the boy learned a great deal at school, and though he was still young, he became a true scholar. He ordered a special suit for himself—black on one side and white on the other—and set off to seek his fortune in the world. Along the way, he met a well-dressed gentleman who asked him:

"Where are you going, boy?"

"Looking for work, your lordship."

"Can you read?"

"Yes, I can read and write."

"No, in that case, you won't suit me." And the gentleman rode on.

Ewen turned his coat inside out, ran through the fields, and, after a while, came out onto the road a little further ahead, walking toward the same traveler.

"Where are you going, boy?" asked the man, not recognizing Congar.

"Looking for work, your lordship."

"Can you read?"

"No, I can neither read nor write. My father is poor and couldn't send me to school."

"Good, then climb onto the horse behind me."

Congar mounted the horse behind the stranger, and they soon arrived at a beautiful castle surrounded by high walls. No one came out to greet them when they entered the courtyard, and the sorcerer—for the new master of Congar was a sorcerer—led the horse to the stable himself. Then, returning, he said to Ewen:

"You will see no men or women in the castle—no one but me. But don't worry, you will lack for nothing. And if you do everything I command, you will receive five hundred écus a year."

"And what will I have to do, master?"

"I have fifty cages here, each with a bird, and ten horses in the stable. You must take care of the birds and horses so that I am satisfied."

"I will do my best, master."

The master showed him the cages with the birds and the horses, then said:

"I am leaving and will not return for a year and a day."

The sorcerer left, and Congar, left alone in the castle, diligently cared for the birds and horses. Four times a day, someone set the table in the dining room, though no living soul was ever seen. After finishing his work, Ewen ate and drank to his heart's content, then strolled through the castle and the garden.

One day, wandering through the rooms and marveling at their luxurious furnishings, he saw a princess of dazzling beauty. She said to him:

"I am one of the horses you care for in the castle's stable, the third one from the left at the entrance, a gray mare with dapples. I am the daughter of the King of Spain, and I have been turned into a horse by magic. I must remain in this form until I find a liberator. Many have tried, but the sorcerer has turned them all into horses or birds—the very ones under your care. If the sorcerer is pleased with your work, he will reward you by allowing you to choose one of the horses from his stable, and you will ride it home to your father. Choose me, and you will not regret it. Remember: the gray mare with dapples, the third one from the left at the entrance. Many princes and noblemen have tried to outwit the sorcerer, and all have paid the price: their skins hang on hooks in a distant room of the castle. Be careful, or the same may happen to you."

The princess allowed Congar to read the sorcerer's books, and from them, he learned the secrets of magic.

A year and a day passed. The master of the castle returned home. He was so pleased with Congar's diligence that he offered him to stay another year and promised to double his pay.

"No," said Congar, "I want to return to my father."

"But think—it is twelve thousand miles from here to your village!"

"Still, I want to go home."

"Very well, here are five hundred écus, your wages. And besides, you may choose any horse from the stable and ride it home."

They went to the stable. Congar pretended to choose, then pointed to the gray mare with dapples:

"I'll take that little horse over there."

"What, that nag? You clearly know nothing about horses. Look at the beauties standing next to her."

"No, I like this little horse, and I don't want any other."

"Curse you! Take her, but you won't escape me."

Congar led the gray mare out of the stable and rode away on her.

When they left the sorcerer's domain, the horse returned to her true form—a beautiful princess.

"Return to your father," she said to her savior, "and I will return to mine, in Spain. In a year and a day, you must also be there, at the court of the King of Spain."

With that, she disappeared.

Congar resolutely walked toward his home village. When he was close, he met a familiar beggar who did not recognize him. Congar asked:

"Do you know Ewen Congar, old man?"

"Of course I know him, he's my neighbor," replied the beggar.

"So he's alive? How is he doing?"

"Alive, yes, but his situation is terrible—no better than mine. He spent his last penny on his son's education, and the boy abandoned him and disappeared."
Congar gave the beggar a coin worth twenty sous and continued on his way. Soon he came to his father's hut and rushed to embrace the old man, who was sitting on a stone by the threshold.

"Hello, Father, I've returned home!"

"Don't mock me," replied old Congar, not recognizing his son.

"I am rich now, Father, we will live in glory. Look!"

He threw five hundred écus onto the table—all in beautiful gold coins. Then he went to the nearest town to buy provisions, bringing back white bread, beef, pork fat, sausages, cider, and even wine. He called the neighbors, and they held a grand feast. This happened every day until all five hundred écus were spent. When only one six-franc coin remained, the old man said to his son:

"Now we're out of money again, son, just as poor as we were before."

"Don't worry, Father. You denied yourself everything to send me to school, and now you'll see that my education has paid off. You will lack for nothing."

Indeed, Ewan had not read the sorcerer's books in vain and had learned the secrets of his art.

"Here's what we'll do, Father. Tomorrow morning, you'll go to the fair in Lannion to sell a bull."

"But where will I get this bull? I haven't had a bull, cow, or calf for a long time."

"Never mind where it comes from, but tomorrow morning you'll find a fine bull at the door. Take it to the market in Lannion, ask for two hundred écus; don't budge a single penny, they'll pay that price. Just make sure you don't give away the rope."

"The rope is always given with the bull," remarked the old man.

"But I'm telling you—don't give away the rope, or you'll bring great trouble upon me. Do you hear, Father? Bring the rope back home."

"Alright, I'll bring it, but that's not how it's usually done."

The next morning, the old man indeed found a magnificent bull with a new rope around its neck at the door of the hut. He immediately led the bull to Lannion, forgetting even to check where his son was. This bull was his son, who, after reading the sorcerer's books, had learned to transform into any animal.

As soon as the bull was seen at the fair, all the traders and butchers in the square began haggling with the old man.

"Hey, old man, how much for the bull?"

"Two hundred écus, without the rope."

"That's a steep price! Say one hundred fifty, and we'll shake on it and open a bottle."

"I won't budge a single penny."

"Well then, the bull will stay with you, that's all." The traders and butchers came up, felt the bull, bargained, but since Congar demanded two hundred écus and not a penny less, the buyers moved on to others.

By the end of the day, as the sun was setting, a stranger with fiery red hair and restless, sharp eyes approached the old man. He inspected the bull and asked:

"How much for the bull, old man?"

"Two hundred écus, without the rope."

"That's a high price. But I like the bull; I need one just like this. Here are your two hundred écus. But leave me the rope so I can take him away."

"No. I told you, I won't give the rope."

"But the rope is always given to the buyer—don't you know that, old fool?"

"I said I won't give the rope. If you don't agree, then forget it: your money stays with you, and my bull stays with me."

"To hell with you and your rope; you can hang yourself with it!"

And the buyer left.

The bull was bought by a butcher from Morlaix, who took it home and put it in the barn to slaughter the next day. But in the morning, the bull disappeared from the barn, and Ewan Congar returned home to his father.

While they had money, father and son lived without denying themselves anything, not forgetting their friends either. When only one six-franc coin remained from the two hundred écus, Ewan said to his father:

"Father, tomorrow morning you'll go to the market in Brest to sell a horse."

"But where will we get this horse?"

"Don't worry about that. It will come from the same place as the bull, and tomorrow morning you'll find it at the door. Ask for three hundred écus, not a penny less. But don't give away the bridle. Bring it home. If you give it away, you'll pay dearly for it, and so will I."

"Alright," said old Congar, "I'll bring the bridle, since you want it. But it's not the custom here to sell a horse without a bridle."

The next morning, old Congar went to the market in Brest riding a magnificent horse, which he was very proud of.

Many traders from Cornwall and Tréguier approached Congar and tried to buy the horse. But the old man demanded three hundred écus and wouldn't budge, while the buyers thought it was too expensive and left, though they all liked the horse very much.

By evening, the same stranger who had bargained for the bull the last time came again and asked:

"How much for the horse, old man?"

"Three hundred écus, without the bridle."

"That's expensive, but I like the horse, and I'll pay without haggling. Just give me the bridle. You know it's always done that way."

"No, I need the bridle myself. If you don't want it, then I won't sell the horse."

"Don't you know, old fool, that the bridle is always sold with the horse?"

"Let others do as they please, but I won't sell it, that's all."

"Fine, then, to hell with you and your horse and bridle!"

And the stranger left, very angry.
A little later, the horse was sold to a dealer from Normandy. He took it to Guingamp and stabled it overnight with other horses, intending to set off for home in the morning.

But the next morning, the horse was gone. Its new owner was left puzzled, wondering what could have happened to it.

The horse, however, was Ewen Congar, who had the ability to transform into animals. He resumed his human form and returned home.

When the three hundred écus earned from selling the horse were spent, Congar transformed into a donkey. In the evening, he instructed his father to take the donkey to sell at the fair in Bré, asking for two hundred écus and insisting that the halter not be given away.

The same unknown dealer came to buy the donkey.

"How much for the donkey, old man?"

"Two hundred écus."

"Two hundred écus is a bit steep for such a little donkey. But I don’t like to haggle, so take your two hundred and give me the donkey."

He immediately mounted the donkey.

"Wait!" shouted Congar. "Leave the halter with me."

"Too late for that, old man!" the dealer replied mockingly.

He struck the donkey with a stick and galloped away.

On the way, he stopped at a blacksmith’s and said:

"Quickly, blacksmith, make four horseshoes, each weighing five poods, and shoe my donkey."

"Are you joking?" said the blacksmith.

"Do as you’re told, and I’ll pay you well." While the blacksmith forged the horseshoes, the donkey stood outside, tied to a ring embedded in the wall of the forge. Children gathered around the donkey and began pulling its ears to hear it bray.

"Untie me," said the donkey.

"This donkey can talk!" shouted one of the children.

"What did it say?" asked another.

"It asked to be untied."

"Yes, children, untie me, and then you’ll see something amusing," repeated the donkey.

They obeyed. And in that instant, the donkey turned into a hare and bolted away.

Hearing the children’s cries, the sorcerer came out of the forge.

"Where’s my donkey?"

"It turned into a hare and ran away."

"Which way?"

"That way, across the field," the children answered.

The sorcerer instantly transformed into a dog and chased after the hare.

The hare, hearing the pursuit, turned into a dove and soared into the sky. The sorcerer became a hawk and sped after it. They flew all the way to the capital of Spain. The hawk was about to catch the dove, but it turned into a golden ring and leapt onto the finger of the princess, the daughter of the Spanish king, who was sitting by the window at that moment.

Then the sorcerer resumed his human form and appeared at the palace, posing as a physician and claiming he wanted to cure the old king—who had been ill for a long time, and none of the kingdom’s doctors could heal him.

The sorcerer found the necessary remedy, cured the king, and in gratitude, the king promised to give him whatever he asked for.

"I need nothing," replied the false physician, "except the golden ring your daughter wears on her finger."

"So little? If you need gold, I’ll give you as much as you want."

"No, I need nothing but your daughter’s ring."

"Very well, tomorrow morning you shall have it."

The princess went to bed without removing the ring and was greatly surprised and frightened to suddenly see a man beside her. It was Congar. Fearing she might scream, he quickly reassured her:

"Princess, I am the one who saved you from the sorcerer and was just now the golden ring on your finger. The sorcerer has been relentlessly pursuing me. He restored your father’s health and now demands the ring you wear as his reward. Promise the king you will fulfill this request, but on the condition that you yourself place the ring on the physician’s finger. And when you do, drop the ring to the floor. Don’t worry about the rest; all will be well if you do as I ask."

The princess promised to do as Congar said.

The next morning, the old king called his daughter and, pointing to the sorcerer disguised as a physician, said:

"My daughter, this man has cured me when all the doctors of the kingdom could do nothing. And as a reward for this great service, he asks only for the golden ring you wear on your finger. Surely you will not refuse him."

"No, my father, I will not refuse," said the princess. "And I will place the ring on his finger myself."

She removed the ring, and as the physician eagerly extended his finger, she, as if from clumsiness or nervousness, dropped the ring to the floor.

In that instant, the ring turned into a pea, and the sorcerer turned into a rooster.

Just as the rooster was about to swallow the pea, it turned into a fox and bit the rooster’s throat. Thus ended the struggle in which Ewen Congar defeated his teacher.

Then the princess introduced her savior to her father, recounting all his trials and adventures. And Congar married the daughter of the Spanish king. On this occasion, the court held many splendid celebrations and lavish feasts, to which old Congar—who was still alive at the time—was also invited.

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Ewen Congar

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