Tobar an Dualchais - Kist O Riches

Title - A boy is taught by the King of the Black Art, and uses shape...
Contributors - Bella Higgins
Reporters - Maurice Fleming

Summary - A boy is taught by the King of the Black Art, and uses shape-changing to escape from him.

An old fisherman and his wife brought up a baby boy that the fisherman found floating in a box. When the boy was eighteen, he and his adopted father saw a ship, with a man on deck throwing golden balls and catching them in his teeth. The captain came ashore and offered to take the boy for a year and a day, to teach him. The third time the boy went with him, he did not return, so his father went in search of him.

With the help of the boy's voice directing him, he came to the castle of the King of the Black Art, and successfully picked out his son, in the form of a pigeon. On the way home, the boy changed himself into a stallion for his father to sell, warning him not to sell the halter along with him. The stallion came back twice, but the third time, the old man lent the halter, and the King of the Black Art had the stallion captive. The stallion prigged [entreated] a visitor to let him go to the river for a drink, and he escaped in the form of a salmon. Pursued by otters, he came to a castle and changed into a gold ring on a girl's finger. The pursuers offered to build a new castle. [Break to change tape.] They asked for the ring in payment. Directed by the boy, the girl threw the ring into a bonfire surrounded by bags of barley. The pursuers turned into cocks and picked at the barley. The boy turned into a fox and killed them. He went home and lived happily ever after.


Track Duration (h:m:s) - 00:14:51
Date Recorded - 1955.03
Language - English
Genre - Story
Collection - School of Scottish Studies

Track ID - 60114
Original Tape ID - SA1955.035
Original Track ID - SA1955.35; SA1955.36.A1
Audio Quality - Fair
Audio Format - R2R



Recording Location:
  County - Perthshire
  Parish - Blairgowrie
  Village - Blairgowrie

Item Notes -

Permanent Link - http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/60114/1

Segments:
Play part 1 (00:14:51)
Play part 2 (00:02:50)


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