A Brave Lad

There lived a farmer in a certain city. He had a son whose name was Kanu. This lad was very modest and never boasted about himself. One day, Kanu’s father sent him to buy seeds for sowing in the fields. Kanu went to the marketplace, bought the seeds, and was coming home rather fast when he stubbed his foot against a large stone on the road. The basket holding the seeds was knocked off his head, and the seeds were scattered in the mud.

Kanu’s father grew very angry at this. He said, “Kanu, you idiot! You can’t even carry out simple orders properly. But all the same, you eat like a hog and do nothing else! I am tired of your foolishness.”

Now, Kanu was a very sensitive lad. He was touched to the quick by the angry words of his father. Spiritedly he retorted, “Very well, Father, as you are tired of me, I shall no longer stay here. Give me that iron rod. I want nothing else from you.”

So the old farmer gave him a solid iron rod. Kanu picked it up and tested it. He was a strong lad and could easily bend iron rods. When he tried to twist this, it broke into two in his hands. So the father gave him yet another iron rod, heavier than the first one. This too broke in Kanu’s hands when he tried to bend it. The third time, an iron rod weighing nearly three maunds was given to him. He found he could bend it a little, but it remained firm and did not break. Satisfied, Kanu shouldered the formidable mace and took the high road to adventure.

First, he went to the King of the land and requested him to give him a job. The King gave him the task of looking after the herds of royal cattle. Kanu would receive a hundred gold pieces every day provided all the cows returned safely. Those who had tended the herds before him had permitted someone to rustle a few cows.

Kanu agreed and that afternoon drove the herds towards their grazing grounds. As he was watching the cows grazing peacefully, a noise like thunder was heard in the distance, and seconds later a fierce-looking troll appeared before him. The troll saw him and roared, “Who are you?” Kanu pretended to be afraid and said in a meek voice, “Sir, please don’t harm me! Take any cow you want.” The pleased troll indicated the fattest cow and asked Kanu to tie its legs together. Kanu did as he was told. Then the troll said, “Hey, fellow, put the cow on my shoulders.” Kanu said humbly, “Sir, I don’t have the strength to lift such an enormous animal. You could easily pick it up by bending down and putting your head between the cow’s legs.”

The troll roared approval of the suggestion and knelt down to lift the cow. At that moment, Kanu lifted his mace and smote the troll heavily on its neck. The troll fell down dead, and Kanu buried it near the river.

In the evening, the king was pleasantly surprised to see Kanu return home with all the cows. The next day, Kanu went as usual to graze the cows and met there a second troll who was presumably the brother of the first one. The brave lad dispatched this one also in the same manner as the first one. The King was even more surprised to see the safe return of Kanu and the herd. On the third day, a third troll appeared and fared no better at the hands of Kanu than the other two. On the fourth day, Kanu encountered an enormous giantess, the mother of the three slain trolls. Dodging her enormous claws, Kanu smote her heavily with his mace. The blow landed on her legs, and she fell down groaning in pain from her shattered limbs. So she looked at Kanu and whined, “Lad, kill me now ere the pain kills me.”

Kanu was not to be taken in so easily. So he said, “If I free you from your misery, what will you give me?”

The groaning giantess said, “Yonder is my cave which is full of gold and silver. Take it all and end my pain.” So Kanu killed her and returned to the palace.

There he was startled to hear sounds of weeping. He went to the sorrowing king and asked him what had happened. The King said in a sad voice, “This afternoon, a three-headed troll visited my palace and threatened to destroy my city unless I send him my only daughter. So awhile ago, I sent my daughter along with a royal attendant to the care of the troll.”

Then Kanu said, “Oh, King, do not fear. I will kill that troll and rescue your daughter.”

Then he set out with his trusted mace and reached the cave of the troll in the twilight hour. Just then, the troll came out and saw Kanu standing there. But as the falling rays of the sun fell on its eyes, it was blinded for a few seconds.

Seizing his opportunity, Kanu smashed a blow between the staring eyes of the troll and dashed its brains on the ground. But in swinging his mace, Kanu had accidentally brushed against the projecting teeth of the troll, and blood spurted from the wound. The princess came running up and bandaged his wound. Then Kanu asked the royal attendant to take the princess back to the palace. He would come along presently.

As they were walking back, the crafty attendant thought of a way to win the princess for himself. He went to the King and boasted that it was indeed he who had got rid of the troll. Therefore, the princess should be given to him in marriage at once. The king was so glad to get his daughter back that he did not pause to think over the matter. Quickly, he arranged for the princess’s wedding with the untruthful attendant.

The princess heard about the wedding arrangement and came running to her father. “Father,” she said, “who is marrying me?”

The King replied, “Why, my royal attendant, of course. He deserves to marry you after his bravery in rescuing you from the clutches of the evil troll.”

The Princess protested at this and related how Kanu had rescued her, but had sent her on with the royal attendant who was now trying to defraud the king with lies.

Just then Kanu arrived, huffing and puffing under the weight of the gold and silver he had unearthed at the trolless’s cave. He confirmed the account of the princess and told the king of his earlier adventures with the other trolls.

When the King learnt the truth, he was overjoyed and celebrated his daughter’s wedding to Kanu with a lot of pomp and show. As for the deceitful royal attendant, he disappeared without a trace.