Saturday – Book of the Day (BoTD)

I’ve decided that each Saturday, I will post one of the books I have in my user generated library on the Antonia Bayle server. If you have a book you’d like to donate to the library, that is not already listed in my player-written book area, please feel free to mail it to Ellithia, and I will send some coin in return. The first book is:

A Selection of Norrathian Fables – By Kaalenarc

A Tale of Two Monks

Two monks were on a long journey. Being monks who were deeply religious, they had taken many vows in service to their God. They walked many leagues in silence when they came to a clearing. Next to the clearing was a stream. On the other side stood a fair maiden, who wanted to come across. Without any hesitation, the first monk crossed the stream, picked up the fair maiden, forded her back and set her down.

The two monks continued on in silence for some time.

After some time the second monk spun towards the first and said, “You know, we have taken vows. It’s against those vows to come in contact with a member of the opposite sex, let alone speak to one, and you picked up the maiden, forded her across and set her down. I can’t believe it.”

The first monk paused a moment and said, “I set her down back there. You, however, have carried her all the way here.”

The Lost Axe

A man who lost his axe suspected his neighbor’s son of stealing it. To him, as he observed the boy, the way the lad walked, the expression on his face, the manner of his speech – in fact everything about his appearance and behavior betrayed that he had stolen the axe.

Not long afterwards the man found his axe while rearranging his guild hall basement. When he saw his neighbor’s son again, nothing about the boy’s behavior nor appearance seemed to suggest that he had stolen the axe.

The Eye of the Beholder

One the road to Qeynos in Antonica, a young sage meets a man near the great Claymore monument, who has two wives. One is pretty and the other plain. Yet he favors the plain wife. So the young sage asks him why.

The man answers:

“The pretty one knows she is pretty. I don’t. The plain one knows she is plain. I don’t. A bad person knows he is bad. I don’t.”

The sage says:

“I shall remember the lesson. The saint behaves as a saint, by his own volition.”

The Eagle and the Arrow

An eagle sat on a lofty rock, watching the movements of a Hare whom he sought to make his prey. A ranger, who saw the Eagle from a place of concealment, took an accurate aim and wounded him mortally. The Eagle gave one look at the arrow that had entered his heart and saw in that single glance that its feathers had been furnished by himself. “It is a double grief to me,” he exclaimed, “that I should perish by an arrow feathered from my own wings.”

The Wolf and the Lamb

A wolf was drinking at a spring on a hillside. On looking up he saw a lamb just beginning to drink lower down. “There’s my supper,” thought he, “if only I can find some excuse to seize it. He called out to the Lamb, “how dare you muddle my drinking water?” “No,” said the Lamb; “if the water is muddy up there, I cannot be the cause of it, for it runs down from you to me.” “Well, then” said the wolf, “why did you call me bad names this time last year?”

“That cannot be,” said the Lamb; “I am only six months old.”

“I don’t care,” snarled the Wolf; “if it was not you, it was your father;” and with that he rushed upon the poor little Lamb and ate her all up.

The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny.

The First Froglok King

In Ancient days, a group of Frogloks were living happily in a swamp that just suited them; they went spalshing about caring for nobody and nobody troubling with them. But some of them thought this was not right; they should have a king. They therefore sent a petition to Marr to give them what they wanted. “Mighty Marr,” they cried. “Send us a king that will rule over us and keep us in order.” Marr laughed at their croaking, and threw down a huge log. The Frogloks were frightened by the commotion in their midst. After a time, seeing that it did not move, one or two of the boldest of them ventured towards the log, and even dared to touch it. Then all the Frogloks came and did the same; and for some time the Frogloks went about their business every day without taking the slightest noitice of the new King Log. But this did not suit them, so they sent another petition to Marr, and said to him, “We want a real king; one that will really rule over us.” This made Marr angry, so he sent among them a big troll that soon set to work gobbling them all up. The Frogloks repented too late.

The Freeport Farmer and the Dragon

The son of a farmer from Freeport accidently trod upon a dragon’s tail. The great dragon turned and bit him and the son died. The father, in a rage, got his axe, and pursuing the Dragon, cut off part of its tail. The dragon, in revenge, began killing the Farmer’s cattle.

The farmer, unable then to pay the Overlord’s taxes, thought it best to make it up with the Dragon, and brought food and what small treasures he could muster to the mouth of its lair, and said to it: “Let’s forget and forgive; perhaps you were right to punish my son, and take vengeance on my cattle, but surely I was right in trying to revenge him; now that we are both satisfied why should we not be friends again?”

“No, no.” said the dragon; “take away your gifts; you can never forget the death of your son, nor I the loss of my tail”

No one truly forgets injuries in the presence of him who caused the injury.

Safe Journeys to all in Norrath.