Chapter 8 Money can turn ghosts around

Money Makes Ghosts & Italian Fairy Tales Once upon a time there was a very rich prince who wanted to build a palace on the opposite side of the palace, which was even more magnificent and magnificent than the palace.As soon as the palace was completed, he wrote the words "money can make ghosts turn mills" in front of the door. The king was out on a tour, saw these words written in front of the door, and immediately summoned the prince.At this time, the prince had just arrived in the capital and had not yet visited the king. "Congratulations," said the king, "your palace is really magnificent. Compared with mine, my little palace is just a hut. Congratulations! Was it your idea to grind the mill?"

The prince realized that he might have gone too far. "Yes, I am," replied the Prince; "but, if your majesty does not like it, I will have the words scratched out, which is very convenient." "Oh, no need. I don't intend to let you scratch it off, but I just want you to tell me what you mean by that sentence. For example, if you have money, can you send someone to assassinate me?" The prince felt that his situation was not good. "Oh, Your Majesty, I beg your pardon. I'll scratch the words off at once. If you don't like this palace, just say so, and I'll tear it down."

"No, no, don't touch it. But since you say you can do anything with money, you'll have to prove to me if it's true. I give you three days to talk to my daughter, If it works, I'll let you marry her. If not, I'll cut off your head! Understand?" The prince was so worried that he couldn't eat or sleep.What he thinks day and night is how to keep his head.By the next day, convinced he had nowhere to go, he decided to write a will.He was helpless, for the king's daughter was imprisoned in a castle surrounded by a hundred guards.The Prince was pale and listless, and was lying on his bed waiting to die; at that moment his old nurse entered the room.She was the one who nursed the prince since he was a child, and she has been serving him all the time. Now she is an old woman.The old nurse saw the prince's haggard face, and asked him what was wrong with him.The prince whimpered and told her everything.

"That's all?" said the old Nan. "Is there nothing you can do? It's a laugh! Let me see what I can do for you." Old Nan went out, trembling, to the house of the most famous silversmith in town.She ordered a silver goose from a silversmith; this goose must be as big as a man, with an empty stomach, and it must be able to open and shut its mouth. "It must be done tomorrow!" she added. "Tomorrow? You are talking nonsense!" the silversmith exclaimed. "It must be done to-morrow!" said the old Nan, taking out a purse with gold coins in it. "Think about it again. This is cash, and the rest will be paid to you tomorrow when you deliver the goods."

The silversmith was stunned, "In this case, we can discuss it, and I will try my best to do it and deliver the goods tomorrow." The next day, the silver goose was ready, and it was very beautiful. "Take your fiddle," said Old Nan to the Prince, "and go down into the goose's belly. As soon as we are in the street, you will play in there." Old Nan dragged the silver goose by a ribbon, and the Prince played the fiddle, and they went round and round the town.People lined the streets to watch this beautiful silver goose, and all the people in the city came out to see it.The news reached the castle where the King's daughter was imprisoned, and she asked her father to let her go out and see the silver goose.

The king said: "Tomorrow, the cowhide prince will die, then go out to see the silver goose." But the princess heard that the old woman with the silver goose would leave tomorrow.The king had no choice but to have the silver goose brought to the castle, so that his daughter could see it.It was just what Old Nan wanted to do.The princess looked at the silver goose alone, and felt very comfortable listening to the sound of the zither coming from its mouth.At this time, the silver goose opened suddenly, and a man came out. "Don't be afraid," said the man, "I am a prince, and I must speak to you, or your father will kill me tomorrow morning. Please tell your father that you have spoken to me, That saved my life."

The next day, the king summoned the prince. "Hey, did money make you talk to my daughter?" "Yes, Your Majesty," replied the Prince. "What? You mean, you talked to her?" "Ask her." The princess came in, and told the story of the prince's hiding in the silver goose, but the silver goose was brought into the castle by the king himself. Hearing this, the king took off the crown and put it on the prince's head. "It seems that you are not only rich, but also have a smart mind! I will marry my daughter to you, and you can live happily!"

(Genoa area) Notes: Source of material: No. 64 of Ligurian Tales (Paris, 1892 edition), edited by James Andrews; collection area: Genoa; narrator: Caitrina Grandi. This is a story of Eastern origin (collected in Animal Tales written in Sanskrit).In Genoese lore, this story has its own peculiarity, emphasizing utilitarianism and business ethics (the king's last remark does not fit with the whole story, I decided to praise cleverness; besides, it is appropriate ...) Money Can Do Everything There was once a prince as rich as cream, who took it into his head to put up a palace right across the street from the kings, but a palace far more splendid than the kings. Once it was finished, he put on its front in bold lettering: MONEY CAN DO EVERYTHING.

When the king came out and saw that, he sent immediately for the prince, who was new in town and hadn't yet visited the court. "Congratulations," the king said. "Your palace is a true wonder. My house looks like a hut compared with it. Congratulations! But was it your idea to put up the words: Money can do everything?" The prince realized that maybe he had gone too far. "Yes it was," he answered, "but if Your Majesty doesn't like it, I can easily have the letters stripped off." "Oh, no, I wouldn't think of having you do that. I merely wanted to hear from your own lips what you meant by such a statement. For instance, do you think that, with your money, you could have me assassinated?"

The prince realized he had got himself into a tight spot. "Oh, Majesty, forgive me. Ill have the words removed at once. And if you dont like the palace, just say so, and Ill have it torn down too." "No, no, leave it the way it is. But since you claim a person with money can do anything, prove it to me. Ill give you three days to try to talk to my daughter. If you manage to speak to her, well and good; you will marry her. If not, Ill have you beheaded. Is that clear?" The prince was too stressed to eat, drink, or sleep. Day and night, all he thought of was how he might save his neck. By the second day he was certain of failure and decided to make his will. for the kings daughter had been closed up in a castle surrounded by one hundred guards. Pale and limp as a rag, the prince lay on his bed waiting to die, when in walked his old nurse, a decrepit old soul now who had nursed him as a baby and who still worked for him. Finding him so haggard, the old woman asked what was wrong. Hemming and hawing, he told her the whole story.

"So?" said the nurse. "And you're giving up, like that? You make me laugh! Ill see what I can do about all this!" Off she wobbled to the finest silversmith in town and ordered him to make a solid silver goose that would open and close its bill. The goose was to be as big as a man and hollow inside. "It must be ready tomorrow," she added . "Tomorrow? Youre crazy!" exclaimed the silversmith. "Tomorrow I said!" The old woman pulled out a purse of gold coins and continued, "Think it over. This is the down payment. Ill give you the rest tomorrow when you deliver the goose." The silversmith was dumbfounded. "That makes all the difference in the world," he said. "Ill do my best to have the goose tomorrow." The next day the goose was ready, and it was a beauty. The old woman said to the prince, "Take your violin and get inside the goose. Play as soon as we reach the road." They wound their way through the city, with the old woman pulling the silver goose along by a ribbon and the prince inside playing his violin. The people lined the streets to watch: there wasn't a soul in town that didn't come running to see the beautiful goose. Word of it reached the castle where the kings daughter was shut up, and she asked her father to let her go and see the unusual sight. The king said, "Times up for that boastful prince tomorrow. You can go out then and see the goose." But the girl had heard that the old woman with the goose would be gone by tomorrow. Therefore the king had the goose brought inside the castle so his daughter could see it. Thats just what the old woman was counting on. As soon as the princess was alone with the silver goose and delighting in the music pouring from its bill, the goose suddenly opened and out stepped a man. "Don't be afraid," said the man. "I am the prince who must either speak to you or be decapitated by your father tomorrow morning. You can say you spoke to me and save my life." The next day the king sent for the prince. "Well, did your money make it possible for you to speak to my daughter?" "Yes, Majesty," answered the prince. "What! Do you mean you spoke to her?" "Ask her." The girl came in and told how the prince was hidden in the silver goose which the king himself had ordered brought inside the castle. The king, at that, removed his crown and placed it on the princes head. "That means you have not only money but also a fine head! Live happily, for I am giving you my daughter in marriage." (Genoa) NOTES: "Money Can Do Everything" (Il danaro fa tutto) from Andrews, 64, Genoa, told by Caterina Grande. This story, of oriental origin (found in the Panchatantra), stresses in its Genoese version a utilitarian and commercial moral all its own. (The final remark of the king was even too harsh along that line, so I decided to give credit also, as it meet, to cleverness...) Copyright: Italian Folktales Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino, translated by George Martin, Pantheon Books, New York 1980