The Black Bull of Norroway

Who knew riding a bull could be so easy?

 This week's tale is about how being the youngest in a fairytale can be the most hazardous, but also the most rewarding. That is a trope in pretty much every fairytale, but we're looking at it specifically in The Black Bull of Norroway.

The tale begins with three sisters all wanting to seek their fortunes. I have to confess, I'm curious what the first two sisters did with their carriages, but I suppose that's a tale for another time. In any case, the youngest gets the Black Bull of Norroway, no matter how scared she is. Since we are following the youngest sister, her tale must be the most interesting, and as we see from the bull's brother's castles, the youngest also has the nicest castle. So, for either gender, it really is better to be the youngest. I feel bad for my older brothers.

Now, I've read a few versions of this tale, and I always wonder how the Bull fights the Old One. Is it a kung-fu battle? Do they have to play Jenga? Some sort of battle of wits? Why did he have to pick up a lady friend before his fight? In any event, we're just following the youngest daughter, so all we know is that once she knows the Bull won, she was so overcome with happiness that she crosses her legs. I know it's hard to sit still as soon as someone tells you to do it, but happiness seems like a weird reason to cross your legs. Anyway.

Eventually, she realizes that the Bull will never be able to find her, so she sets out on her own journey and finds a glass hill. I'm not sure why she becomes determined to climb it, but she is, so she works for a smith for seven years so he will make her shoes to climb the hill. Seven years. That's a long time only to find the hill has a terrible washerwoman and her daughter at the top. Really though, their task was to get bloodstains out of clothes and they couldn't do it. I suppose the stains were enchanted, but still... They are also terrible because they take the main character's success as their own and almost make the Bull marry the wrong girl. In the end, though, he finds out the right person who cleaned his clothes, and has the other two burned. Brutal.

I suppose one moral of this story is to follow directions, but I am also a fan of the idea that if you find a glass hill, you should try to climb it. Because there's going to be something unusual at the top. Possibly your long-lost love.