Jack, because he never told a lie, was the only man who coul...

Original Track ID

SA1976.68.B4; SA1976.69.A1

Original Tape ID

SA1976.068

Summary

Jack, because he never told a lie, was the only man who could get the heart of a giant and marry the queen.

A king and queen were plagued by a giant. The giant caught the two little princesses and the king was killed pursuing him. A henwife told the queen the giant was indestructible because his heart was in an egg in a swan's nest on an island. The queen had to get the man who had never told a lie in his life to fetch it. The henwife gave the queen something that made her the ugliest woman in the world. Then the queen had to wander the country and, showing off gold, ask, "Am I lovely?" in order to find the man who would not tell a lie. Eventually, she met an old woman who advised her to go and see her sister's son Jack. Jack told her truthfully that she was the ugliest woman he had ever seen. Jack found the swan's nest and got the one blue egg. When the giant came, the queen squeezed the egg and he doubled up with pain. The queen bargained with the giant to bring back her daughters and every other person that belonged to her land. The henwife told the queen to wait until she got her daughters and then smash the egg. The giant went down in the deepest part of the channel. Jack told the queen that he liked her a lot but she was too ugly to stay with. The queen took an antidote and turned back into a lovely young queen. They were married and lived happily ever after.

Item Notes

The source of the story is discussed on tape SA1976.69. Mr
Williamson heard it from his father when he was five years old.

Recording Location

Language

Scots

Genre

Story

Collection

SoSS

Classification

AT302

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good