The Hymn That Saved

The Problem of Horse Theft

In a certain kingdom, horses were frequently stolen by thieves. The king had to instruct his judges to hang anyone found guilty of horse theft.

A Night of Uncertainty

One night, an astrologer, on his way to a distant location, took shelter in a villager’s house. The villager’s mare was about to give birth to a colt. Anxiously, the villager and his son stayed awake, while their guest, the astrologer, consulted his almanac and said, “Can’t the delivery be delayed for some time?”

“That is impossible! But why do you say so?” asked the villager.

“This is not an auspicious moment at all. If the colt is born now, it will endanger at least two men’s lives in the future!” explained the astrologer.

A Difficult Delivery

But the mare gave birth to the colt just as they were speaking.

“What should I do now?” asked the villager. “I don’t know! However, I will inscribe a hymn on a thin plate of brass. Place the plate under the skin on the colt’s forehead and apply this root to help the cut heal quickly,” said the astrologer, handing over the brass plate and the root to the villager before leaving.

The villager followed the advice given.

The Stolen Horse

Six years passed, and the colt grew into a handsome horse. One night, however, it was stolen. When the villager discovered the empty stable the next morning, he told his son, “I must go out to search for our horse.”

“You should not go alone. Let me accompany you,” replied the son.

The father tried to dissuade his son, but the boy insisted. Thus, both set off on their quest.

A Fateful Encounter

As they reached the outskirts of a distant village, rain poured down, soaking them. While trudging through the cold, they noticed a man riding a horse and dragging another horse behind him.

The son squinted at the man and his two horses from a distance. “The extra horse is ours!” he proclaimed.

“How can you be so sure?” asked the father. “I know its appearance and gait so well that I cannot be mistaken,” asserted the son.

The Confrontation

The stranger rode his two horses into a smith’s workshop. “Let us go in and take a closer look at the horse,” proposed the father.

They entered the shop, where the smith, busy nailing a horse’s hooves, looked up and said, “You are drenched. Come near the oven to warm yourselves.”

Father and son approached the oven and examined the horse closely.

“This is our horse, no doubt,” the father declared to his son. “Did I not say so?” whispered the son. However, the stranger overheard them and shouted angrily, “What are you discussing while looking at my horse?” “This is our horse! Someone stole it from our stable,” insisted the father.

A Severe Judgment

“What!” screamed the stranger. “Do you mean I am a thief? I know your motive. You want to take away the horse from me under false pretenses. In other words, you are horse thieves yourselves!”

They went to the nearest judge, who listened to both sides. The stranger produced a witness who testified that the horse belonged to him. Unfortunately, no one was there to support the claim of the father and son.

“So, you were attempting to steal this gentleman’s horse in a novel way!” observed the judge. He then ordered the two to be hanged according to the law.

Hope in Despair

As arrangements were quickly made for their execution, the father remembered the astrologer’s prediction that two lives would be in danger because of the horse.

“But how strange that the hymn sealed under the colt’s forehead was of no use!” lamented the son. “Well, well!” exclaimed the father. “Perhaps the hymn will work now!”

The Twist of Fate

When it was time to tighten the nooses around their necks, the judge arrived to give orders to the hangman.

At the judge’s instruction, the guards tore open the skin on the horse’s forehead, and soon they found the plate intact!

A Just Conclusion

The judge wasted no time in altering his judgment. The father and son were reunited with their horse. The real thief was hanged.

“The hymn had its effect—in its own way!” said the father happily, thanking the unknown astrologer.